It is clear that Mr. Martinez has experienced a significant number of traumatic events in his lifetime. The repeated abuse as a child coupled with the trauma he experienced as an adult would most certainly make Mr. Martinez susceptible to Complex PTSD. Although this synopsis doesn't detail Martinez's response to the traumas I assume that the events in his early childhood would have instilled feelings of fear and helplessness. I believe he would have had similar feelings from the combat-related trauma, torture by law enforcement, and the experience of being on death row. It is likely that the PTSD lead Martinez to commit acts that lead to his incarceration.
Several risk factors have been identified for PTSD, these factors include: gender, learning disabilities, physical abuse, sexual abuse, duration of traumatic event, mental
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Martinez's case I suspect that he would exhibit many of the symptoms associated with PTSD and Complex PTSD. I would imagine that Martinez constantly felt threatened due to the abuse he experienced as a child, including the threats by his father to harm the family. Even if he had recovered from the trauma of his youth he went on to be tortured by law enforcement, and experience combat which would only further support these feelings. It is likely that the trauma from his childhood also prevented him from forming meaningful relationships throughout his life. It is a little harder to predict what Complex PTSD symptoms Martinez might exhibit, but I think based on his incarceration he may have a lack of impulse control. The biggest factor to keep in mind regarding Martinez's behavior while incarcerated is that he would constantly feel threatened. This could be a potential safety issue for inmates, as well as correction officers. This should be especially concerning for the correction officers given Martinez's prior experience being tortured by law enforcement. It is very possible that Martinez would feel the need to lash out at
Born to a mother in jail, father was murdered 2months after birth Antwone was a child of the ward. His foster home experience was tragic he experienced abuse, verbal abuse, sexual abuse, and was not in a loving environment. Antwone suffered from homelessness and many of the behaviors due to his childhood. As he grew older he joined the military, his lack of counseling as a child, reflected into his adult and he suffered. Antwone was dealing with rage and was engaged in a fight with another officer. As part of his punishment he was asked to seek therapy.
In the case study by Ghosh-Ippen, Lieberman, and NCTSN Core Curriculum on Childhood Trauma Task Force (2012), Amarika is an 18-month-old girl who witnessed the shooting of her mother Makisha at a neighborhood park. Her mother survived the shooting, but was in the hospital for some time after to recover. Her grandmother, Marlene Lawrence, cared for Amarika. Mrs. Lawrence reported that Amarika was refusing to eat and having difficulty sleeping. This is when the social worker, Carla, was contacted to provide trauma intervention for Amarika.
In treating Mr. Mendez their will be a wide range of individuals that will have interaction with him in his treatment. Mr. Mendez will need to continue to see a psychiatrist given that he is currently on medication and that it needs to be monitor. He would also benefit from a therapist con deal with some of the family issues that he is experiencing. Mr. Mendez has had to deal with the los of family since a very young age and a therapist would benefit him by allowing him to deal with the unresolved feelings he may have. It is also benefit Mr. Mendez to finish and obtain his high school diploma or GED. A local school or in the prison setting it
Does stressful and/or traumatic life events aid in individual incarceration? The focus of the investigation was to assess the prevalence of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) diagnosis and the amount of lifetime exposure to stressful and/or traumatic life events in male inmates with an acute psychiatric illness who were hospitalized during their incarceration (Gosein et al., 2015). It was hypothesized that mentally ill male inmates will have higher rates of traumatic exposure and PTSD compared to expected rates for this group. Inmates were assessed via the Life Stressor Checklist-Revised (LSC), and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV TR axis Disorders (SCID-I) to determine if exposures to stressful and/or traumatic life events contributed to incarceration. A total of 65 males consented to participate in the study; however, only 48 continued with the study because 17 did not have the capacity to sign the informed consent form. The results of this study supported the hypothesis that exposures to stressful and/or traumatic life events
Pediatric abusive head trauma, also known as shaken baby syndrome, is a devastating form of abuse. It occurs when a young child is violently shaken. The repeated shaking back and forth motion causes the child’s brain to bounce within the skull, resulting in bruising and swelling. This intentionally inflicted injury causes trauma to the head and neck region, including cranial, cerebral, and spinal injuries. It occurs in infants and small children because the muscles of the neck region aren’t strong enough to go against the shaking force that occurs. Some make a complete recovery; others are left with debilitating handicaps, and in some cases death occurs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2012), states that among all the forms
After reading, it is logical and makes sense that higher the amount of exposure to childhood trauma would affect someone later in life. These experiences have the ability to cause greater health issues because of it (Stevens, 2014). This aligns with my working knowledge of Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) research which I have learned from my mentor. This topic is big for her as she works with children and families in our communities for a living. She is aware of my past of being in foster care and has educated me how ACE research pertains to me. A while back she started naming off experiences, asking if I had them in my life, with the goal of educating me about how high my ACE score is and that it makes sense that I got cancer three years
In addition to the previously noted negative psychological effects of prisonization, it is common for individuals who were wrongly imprisoned to be angry and bitter about the injustice they suffered (Cook et al., 2014). The fact of their innocence heightens the psychological toll, which exacerbates the overall effects of imprisonment (Campbell & Denov, 2004). In a seminal study on the psychological consequences of wrongful conviction, Grounds (2004) completed systematic psychiatric assessments of 18 exonerated men who had no psychiatric histories prior to their wrongful arrests. His findings were telling: 14 met the criteria for “enduring personality change after catastrophic experience” (p. 168), 12 met the criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder, 10 were diagnosed with depressive disorder, 5 exhibited panic disorder features, 4 exhibited paranoid symptoms, and three were alcohol or drug dependent. As case managers, social workers should be aware of likely psychological effects common among exonerees and should have a pool of therapeutic resources to draw from as referrals for them. As mental health care providers working with exonerees, social workers should learn as much as possible about problems common among this population, and recognize that they have unique needs beyond the needs shared by all former
It has come to light that offenders who are currently incarcerated or have recently been released have experienced or are experiencing some type of mental health illness. These mental health illnesses often include symptoms, which are “related to, but not limited to, post-traumatic stress disorder” (Liem & Kunst, 2013, p.333). One may wonder why and how being incarcerated causes mental health illnesses, especially PTSD. The topic I will be discussing is Post Incarceration Syndrome (PICS). I will explain its symptoms and why it is a current problem.
Some prisoners are plagued with Post Incarceration Syndrome, a combination of psychological problems. These problems are institutionalized and antisocial personality traits, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder,
In the case of Jack, he quickly became familiar with a place that has a history of violence and persons with aggressive behavior. And a Texas Federal Judge also noticed this in 1999, it was concluded that Texas Prisons were pervaded by a culture of violence, both sadistically and maliciously. The conclusion was that violence in prisons is an open, tolerated, acknowledged and encouraged by prison officials. Some men cannot fend for themselves when they first come to prison and have to learn fairly quickly. The reason inmates have to learn early on to fend for themselves is because they will get chastised until they do. The only thing an inmate respects in another is moral strength. Men have been broken down to the point in which they no longer talk. They learn to live with the deprivation of security. They go from living in a free world with less fear to living with criminals. Inmates now have to look out for themselves at all times by means of violence. Situational awareness is essential as a prisoner. Some prisoners used collectivism to help one another in time of need. Abbott expressed that most inmates fought for one another against other groups of inmates. Each inmate only has one another to rely
Several different factors can contribute to how a person responds to a traumatic stressor and scientist and theoreticians have found other factors can determine individuals who are more likely to develop PTSD when exposed to a catastrophic event. These factors can include their past exposure to trauma, their mental health history, their families’ history of psychological problem, age, gender, biological makeup, social network, as well accessibility to mental health treatment facilities.
Your introduction is very engaging and emphasizes the important role of communication after experiencing trauma. I believe your topic is very relatable because there is a sense of denial, seclusion, and dissociation that correlates with trauma and loss that many of us have experienced. Open communication within a family unit provides opportunities to express thoughts and feelings and develop appropriate coping strategies (Zambianchi & Bitti, 2014). In your intro you stated, "The impact childhood trauma has on our society and on children." As a suggestion, maybe you could expand on this statement or state specific impacts childhood trauma has on our society or on children. I love your examples of evidenced based interventions and how
If someone has a loved one or friend who is struggling or may be on the brink of developing PTSD there are two important key factors that can provide more help in determining if the person has it or not. These factors are called risk and resilience factors and they are able to determine who is more likely to develop PTSD and provide different actions that can be used to reduce the risk of developing PTSD. Some risk factors include living through a dangerous event and trauma, history of mental illness, witnessing the death of a person, the feeling of horror, helplessness, extreme fear, and having little to no social support from family and friends. Some resilience factors include seeking support, support groups, coping strategies, feeling good about one’s own actions in face of danger, and being able to act and respond effectively despite felling fear ( What is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder 4). These factors are very important and can act as a guide to help anyone who has PTSD and any family or friend who has
While dedicated research on the subject of psychological damage as a result of imprisonment is surprisingly sparse there are a few articles that touch on the subject. Prison is a ripe case study for many Psychology scholars due to its inherently insular nature and varied subcultures. Researchers have noticed frightening trends among inmates such as increased aggression, impairment of executive functions, and increased development of psychosomatic disorders.
Childhood trauma contributes to the development of disorders later in life. Several psychological disorders may be caused by childhood trauma. These disorders may include: post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, addiction, borderline personality disorder, and dissociative identity disorder.