Understanding Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) | Origin: ED130
This is a general discussion forum for the following learning topic:
Teaching Students with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder --> Understanding Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Post what you've learned about this topic and how you intend to apply it. Feel free to post questions and comments too.
It is important to understand the various factors that lead to the development of PTSD and how it affects all ages. It is also important to be aware of how PTSD affects children versus adults.
This is a common symptom in the diseased world in which we live.
I have learned that PTSD affects many more individuals than i had previously thought.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition triggered by experiencing or witnessing traumatic events. Key symptoms include flashbacks, nightmares, hypervigilance, and emotional numbness. In an educational setting, understanding PTSD is crucial for supporting students who may struggle with concentration, emotional regulation, or social interaction due to past trauma. I plan to apply this knowledge by fostering a trauma-sensitive classroom environment, being mindful of triggers, offering flexibility in assignments, and creating a safe, supportive space where students feel comfortable expressing themselves. How can teachers balance providing support without making students feel singled out due to their trauma?
I hadn't realized the relevance, especially in children, that trauma and PTSD represent. I also had not thought about the familial implications of how family relates to the impacted individual, especially the isolation or sense "the person they knew is gone". It presents a wider understanding of how future relations, closeness, and trust could be impacted.
As an instructor and military veteran, I can empathize with students dealing with PTSD, but also understand that it comes in different forms. This module explains the statistics and the characteristics of PTSD to aid in identifying students who might be dealing with it.
Trauma is something that many people experience but their reaction to it is very personalized and unique in how it can manifest as symptoms.
PTS is a debilitating condition that has undergone a series of changes through extensive studies performed from the Civil war forward. Although the term (Shell Shock, PTSD) have changed throughout the years the sympthoms have remained similar through out every case.
Trauma affects more people than I realized.
In this course I learned that a large amount of the population including men women and children have developed PTSD in response to trauma they endured at one point in their life. Some indications can include but are not limited to, depression, anxiety, irritability and even physical symptoms. Trauma is defines as a deeply depressing or disturbing experience that can be personal or observed. Our job is to help them overcome the challenges that PTSD presents so they can be successful in the classroom and in their future careers.
I learned more about PSTD then I knew and how to recognize it. Having these skills helps with how to handle students' with PSTD
PTSD is known as a silent killer. It's good more people are learning about the difficulties people with PTSD live with
I was a victim advocate for domestic abuse and sexual assault victims and survivors. I have experienced vicarious trauma. I had acquired the tools necessary to stay in that field for as long as I did. Currently, I am in a teaching position and have recognized signs of PTSD in some of my students. I feel my background is helpful in supporting my students and understanding their individual behaviors.
My favorite part of this was reading what everyone else had posted. It is so reassuring to see that the understanding of PTSD has greatly increased. Managing this in the educational setting is important and I am excited to find tools to use in my own practice.
I learned about Vicarious Trauma, People who work with victims of actual trauma that experience trauma almost 2nd hand and I will consider that when working with students form those types of backgrounds.
I have both firsthand and other experience with those with PTSD, being a veteran myself. I appreciate the fact that this course also elucidates the results of the ACES (Adverse Childhood Experiences Survey) studies regarding the potential for both psychological and physiological risks for those who have experienced untreated childhood trauma.
I have learned the (slow) process of how PTSD was identified first on the battlefield. It is alarming that soldiers (men) were expected to just keep going and to accept the horrors they witnessed and experienced as merely being part of their duty. I find it baffling that those who tried to discover what was impacting soldiers assumed it was something physical due to weaponry. Further, it was expected that it was something that would go away within a short period of time. It makes me wonder whether those studying the "gross stress reaction" had ever experienced war themselves.
The DSM-II then included “adjustment reaction to adult life” as a condition that some people might suffer from after a traumatic incident in their life to address those who did not have their symptoms "resolve relatively quickly." It wasn't until 1980 that the DSM III identified "PTSD" due to researching returning Vietnam War Veterans, Holocaust survivors, sexual trauma victims and others inks between the trauma of war and post-military civilian life were established. And, further research found that PTSD is relatively common, with data showing that 5 of every 100 American men (5%) and 10 out of every 100 American women (10%) will be diagnosed with PTSD in their lifetime.
As a high school teacher, I was saddened by the statistics that show teens aged 12-18 go through varying kinds and amounts of trauma, but studies show that about 15% to 43% of girls and 14% to 43% of boys go through at least one trauma. Of those teens who have experienced trauma, 3% to 15% of girls and 6% to 15% of boys develop PTSD. Depending on the type of trauma, the incidence of PTSD can increase significantly. The risk factors for developing PTSD increase with the severity of the trauma (National Center for PTSD, 2016).
Additionally, the statistics that outlined the potential impacts of trauma are grim, and as a Work Experience Coordinator, I was especially concerned that my students who have been impacted by trauma could be 3 times more likely to be absent from work, and 3 times more likely to have serious job problems. This means that I need to provide the student as many opportunities to practice these challenges within a work experience with a high level of support to best help prepare them for long-term successful employment and stability.
I found myself surprised that the percentage of males and females suffering from PTSD symptoms were so close. I thought in the past that the numbers for females were higher, but maybe more males are seeking help.
i LEARNED THAT ANY TRAMATIC EVENT WAR OR NOT CAN TRIGGER PTSD OOPS SORRY FOR ALL CAPS LOL.
