Margaret Nusrat Character Analysis

A traumatic event affects many people in various ways. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a globally recognized disorder that is common among persons who have experienced traumatic events, but is also known as a normal response by normal persons in abnormal situations. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder can be caused by a multitude of reasons, not just from traumatic events. People with various personality traits can be associated with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. People who suffer from poor health can also be associated with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. People who suffer various life occurrences such as rape, natural disasters,

A person who suffers PTSD also exhibits strange behavior like avoidance of certain events, locations or anything that is deemed to bring back memories that trigger semblance of the original traumatic experience (Yehuda, 2002). As the patient tries to avoid such circumstances, they manifest as antisocial behavior. They avoid people, certain places as well as suffer a sense of memory loss. They try to numb their ability to remember the painful traumatic event. A major symptom amongst

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric sequel to a stressful event or situation of an exceptionally threatening or catastrophic nature. It develops after a person is involved in a horrifying ordeal that involved physical maltreatment or the threat of physical harm. These events can include combat or military experience, abuse during childhood or adulthood (physical or sexual), terrorist attacks, serious accidents or natural disasters. This person may have been the one that was harmed, witnessed a harmful event or had a loved one who was harmed. It is normal for the body’s fight or flight mechanism to engage in times of danger. With a person who has PTSD, that mechanism is damaged and the person feels this even when they are not in danger. Symptoms can be categorized into four different areas – re-experiencing symptoms (flashbacks, bad dreams, frightening thoughts) , avoiding situations that remind the person of the event, negative changes in beliefs and feelings (may be fear, guilt, shame or losing interest in those activities that once were enjoyable) and hypervigilence (always feeling keyed up, trouble concentrating or sleeping). There are also feelings of hopelessness, despair, depression or anxiety, alcohol or substance abuse, physical symptoms or chronic pain and problems with employment and relationships.

PTSD, or Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, is a psychiatric disorder that can occur following the experience or witnessing of a life-threatening events such as military combat, natural disasters, terrorist incidents, serious accidents, or physical or sexual assault in adult or childhood. Most survivors of trauma return to normal given a little time. However, some people will have stress reactions that do not go away on their own, or may even get worse over time. These individuals may develop PTSD. People who suffer from PTSD often relive the experience through nightmares and flashbacks, have difficulty sleeping, and feel detached or estranged, and these symptoms can be severe enough and last long enough to significantly impair the person’s daily life.

(Rosenthal, J. Z., Grosswald, S., Ross, R., & Rosenthal, N. 2011) Veterans presenting with symptoms of PTSD will often engage in behaviors which can be dangerous for themselves, their families and socity. Lack of effective treatment can place the veteran at increased risk for drug and alcohol abuse or dependence, suicide ideations or attemps, and bouts violence toward others. (National Center for PTSD, 2010) PTSD can occur anytime anytime one has have been through the experience of a traumatic event. PTSD has been referred to by many names in past years such as post-combat disorders, shell shock, post-traumatic stress disorder, disordered or heavy heart, and war neurosis. In DSM-I PTSD was referred to as ‘‘gross stress reaction’’ this was the name of the diagnoises given to those individuals who had suffered combat exposure, and their minds had become psychologically altered. It was very helpful to have a name to the sympotms of military or civilian individual that had been exposed to combat exposure, ex-prisoners of war, and rape victims. This term had also been helpful in diagnosing Nazi Holocaust

(MIP-1) Najmah’s family gets taken away from her and she begins to change, also, if loved ones get taken away from someone, the victim will very likely also start to show symptoms of PTSD. (SIP-A) Najmah begins to feel isolated from her loved ones and loses hope for herself, PTSD can affect at any time after an event.(STEWE-1) Watching this

The Round House Research Paper In The Round House, Louise Erdrich shows how a traumatic event can affect a person a person to adolescence. Teen’s common reactions to a traumatic event are anger, guilt, and being over protective of friends and family. In this case it is shown through Joe after his mom, Geraldine went through a brutal attack and suffered PTSD. Joe took many actions after the attack him, his family, and his friends.

The effects of PTSD are reliving the event for most having flashbacks of the events, haunting them and because of so the man and women will avoid whatever reminds them of the event. A recent Interview of a Vietnam veteran's daughter was a prime example of such as Trina Lang stated he had a "Fear of loud sound, blood, and has loss of hearing. And tight spaces from holes.". As seen he has from the ordeal avoided loud sounds, blood, and tight places a sign of PTSD fear of having flashbacks to the ordeal. Another symptom the start of negative feeling or beliefs feeling guilty and looking at yourself in a different light no longer enjoying life going numb finding it hard to be happy in all senses a extreme depression. In the same interview the Trina Lang also stated "It was a really bad time in his life he would not talk about he was not proud of what he did." Another symptom of PTSD being seen in a veteran. The final symptom being a feeling of being locked up always jittery and having the feeling that you are in danger after in battle always being in

While the night terrors or flashbacks can be limited to just the individual, some of the symptoms may be projected onto the families. For example, imagine being around a happy person all day long and how that makes you feel, you will generally feel happy. If you are around a negative person or someone who complains a lot, your feelings and attitude will fall in line with theirs. This is the same thing that happens with family members of people with PTSD. The person with PTSD usually feels like a different person and they often have negative feelings. Additionally they may avoid places, such as large crowds, or loud noises that could cause them to flashback or have memories of their traumatic ordeal. In these cases, the normal member in the relationship will start imitating these traits as well. They will soon find themselves avoiding these situations, or feeling negative about things as well. The normal one will show signs of sympathy, anger or guilt, because they think it is their fault they cannot make their spouse happy. On top of these negative traits of PTSD, those individuals with some sort of mental health disorder also have some sort of chronic health disorder.

Ms. Nancy Mairs, an accomplished and a renowned linguist, describes how she views herself with multiple sclerosis. Mairs presents herself as an extremely confident and proud woman who does not back down from her so-called “disability”. By explicitly calling herself a “cripple” Mairs is showing her audience that she is a strong woman who has come to terms with her condition and is now explaining it to others.

The symptoms of PTSD are sometimes known only to the victim themselves, nonetheless wreck havoc on the person and his life. A myriad of symptoms are exhibited by victims of PTSD, with most barring the victim from their normal lives. The Clinician's Guide to Medication for PTSD states that there are four primary symptoms: intrusion (examples include nightmares, unwanted thoughts of traumatic events, and flashbacks), avoidance of things that include triggers of the traumatic event (such as places, people, and conversations), negative alterations in cognitions and mood (examples include distorted blame of self or others for the traumatic event, negative beliefs about oneself or the world), and alterations in arousal and reactivity (examples include angry, reckless, or self destructive behavior) (Jefferys). These symptoms can be identified early; however, often these behaviors chalked up to nothing more than anger management issues. The symptoms of PTSD are sometimes ignored; however, once recognized and treated, these symptoms often fade, which is why early diagnosis is so pertinent.

There are people who believe that Post-traumatic Stress disorder is not a real disease, and the victims are feigning their symptoms. These ignorant people have never talked to someone plagued by the disorder. Jonathan Norrell was a medic who was sent to Iraq. Throughout his tour there he witnessed many people die. In an interview with PBS new affiliate Maria Hinojosa, Norrell was asked if “[He] could still do a good job, if [he] could still be a good solider?”(Pertaining to his first brush with death) Norrell’s immediate response was “Yes.” Although he had witnessed a lot of suffering as a medic, the trauma had yet to affect him. However it did. In that same interview Norrell said “It wasn’t till later on that it really started to get to me.” The trauma had taken a life of its own. On the way back to his grandmother’s house in Texas, he had a breakdown where he was crying, couldn’t see, and had no idea where he was . In one conversation with Norrell it would be easy to see how real PTSD really is. Norrell has experience great traumas, and had an intense reaction to them; the recipe for Post-traumatic Stress disorder.

The more severe or chronic symptoms of PTSD can include but are not limited to; flashbacks were they relive the traumatic event for minutes or even days at a time, reacting as though the events were still occurring. Have an increased tendency and reaction to being startled, and a disproportionate suspicion to threat along with shame or guilt and irritability or anger. They may also suffer the inability to experience pleasure, feel emotionally numb, and a reduced interest in activities they once enjoyed. Have poor concentration, difficulty remembering things, and experience hearing or seeing things that are not there. Furthermore, it is common for them to develop poor self-esteem, have poor relationships, self-destructive behavior, hopelessness about the future, substance abuse, and anti social behavior along with depression. Soldiers with PTSD may tend to avoid people, places, and things that remind them of the event. They often avoid thinking or talking about the traumatic event, seek isolation, and are highly sensitive to normal life experiences. Chief complaints in patients diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder include two major symptoms: anxiety, which causes an abnormal reaction to loud noises and difficulty sleeping due to repeated nightmares.

A physical indicator of this type of symptom is nightmares in which the individual relives the event. Re-experiencing symptoms are often triggered by a sound, sight, or event that causes the individual to relive the initial trauma. For example, triggers might include a seemingly trivial occurrence such as hearing a car backfire which could resurface memories of gunfire for a combat war Veteran, or seeing a car accident which can remind a crash survivor of their own accident (Friedman, 2007). The second type of symptom frequently occurring in individuals with PTSD is avoiding situations that serve as a reminder of the initial event. Individuals with this symptom may choose to purposely avoid situations or people that trigger memories of the initial traumatic event (Friedman, 2007). For example, a person who underwent a devastating earthquake may avoid watching television shows or movies involving earthquakes. Also these individuals may simply attempt to stay extremely busy to avoid having to think or to talk about the traumatic event that occurred. The third type of symptom most often experienced by individuals is emotional numbness (Friedman, 2007). Often victims of PTSD find it difficult to accurately express their feelings. Consequently, not only is it easier for these individuals to avoid expressing their feelings, but it also allows them to avoid memories of the catalytic event. Individuals

Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was seen as a condition where people are shocked into fear of facing situations. Over the years, it was labeled as “Soldier’s Heart” in the post Civil war era and “Shell Shock” in the World War I. In a situation of ‘fight-or-flight’ an individual is triggered to escape from danger, however in PTSD this reaction is reversed in which case the individual feels a constant threat of danger even when there is no danger present.The person diagnosed with PTSD can be anyone from a child to an adult. Many causes of this disorder include traumatic events, knowing someone who is in danger, genetic factors, and more. Symptoms include