Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a relatively common condition affecting individuals who have experienced severe trauma. According to researchers, PTSD correlates with the individual’s repeated recollection and reliving of traumatic events that have affected mental well-being (Carmassi et al., 2020). Thus, an individual has flashbacks, dreams, and thoughts correlating with an experience that became a trigger due to the negative connotations. Post-traumatic stress disorder is often associated with people who have been in the military, experienced car accidents, witnessed violence, or have been abused. Moreover, it correlates with other mental conditions such as anxiety disorder, depression, as well as substance abuse as a result of the negative implications on the person experiencing the strong emotional triggers.
PTSD can correlate with the sociological and anthropological critical perspectives. The overview highlights the social power dynamics in which people compete for resources and have different experiences based on their income, social status, and influence (Mixing Anthropology and Sociology). Based on this particular notion, certain individuals are more vulnerable because of the limited resources, while others have privileges correlating with their higher economic and social status. The critical perspective can be applied in various contexts, including the education system, healthcare, the job market, and other essential factors within the societal construct. Moreover, the topic of mental health is also linked to social inequality perpetuated by a lack of resources for certain people and their abundance for others. Thus, the critical perspective can be applied to illustrating PTSD, namely, how vulnerable populations are more prone to experiencing events that trigger the condition.
As mentioned prior, PTSD is triggered by an event that a person experiences before it is ingrained in their memory and causes the condition to affect how they perceive the world, think, and behave. Vulnerable populations, especially impoverished countries and communities, are often under circumstances that may lead to post-traumatic stress disorders. Thus, young males enrolling in the army because of the lack of resources to pay for a college or a lack of perspectives on choosing a different path encounter events in which they are under severe stress and pressure, such as armed conflicts, peers dying, and the need to engage in violence. This may lead to severe mental trauma that is to be addressed. Another example can be illustrated by referring to people living in low-income and often violent neighborhoods. Since the risks are higher, such individuals may go through traumatic stress solely because of not having the resources to relocate to a safer area. As a result, the critical perspective refers to some of the possible implications when it comes to developing PTSD.
Reference
Carmassi, C., Foghi, C., Dell’Oste, V., Cordone, A., Bertelloni, C. A., Bui, E., & Dell’Osso, L. (2020). PTSD symptoms in healthcare workers facing the three coronavirus outbreaks: What can we expect after the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychiatry Research, 292, 113312. Web.
Mixing Anthropology and Sociology. (n.d.). Lecture.