P.K Phillips begins her story by describing PTSD as a life-long challenge since it has affected most of her life. At her young age, Phillip started experiencing undiagnosed mental disorders which were not visible to others. Although Phillip was battling a serious condition, people perceived Phillips to be living a perfect life (Phillips, 2009). When she was 35, Phillips discovered that she had Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after a proper diagnosis. During her childhood, Phillips encountered several traumatic experiences during her childhood that could be among the factors that escalated her condition (Phillips, 2019). These include mental, sexual, and physical abuse and a knifepoint attack that changed her entire life course. The childhood experiences mentioned above prompted Phillips to develop feelings of insecurity to consider every place, including her home, unsafe. After the attack, Phillips filed a report with the police and made a wrong decision by declining counselors’ help after being raped. Today, Phillips attributes the causes of her PTSD’s current conditions to her childhood traumatic experiences mentioned above.
From the descriptions, the cause of Philip’s PTSD condition is identifiable. The course material indicates that PTSD results from a past traumatic experience, physical, psychological, or emotional. Philips suffered psychological anguish due to rape, physical attack, and mental distress during her childhood, which makes the cause of her mental condition clinically recognizable (Young, & Skorga, 2011). Additionally, classic symptoms of PTSD in the case study are quite apparent. First, Philips experiences recurrent flashbacks of the past traumatic experience. That means she is psychologically disturbed by what happened to her at a tender age (Friedman, 2015). Second, Philips had feelings of insecurity due to the anxiety from the past agonizing events. She does not trust anyone close to her, even her friends or relatives. Philips suffered a panic attack to the extent of not leaving the house for several days. Such signs are clear classic indicators of an individual experiencing PTSD and require urgent intervention.
Importantly, Philips received treatment, a combination of medication and behavioral therapy. The intervention given to Philips is identifiable as evidence-based since it combines two effective methods. Scientific literature indicates that PTSD is best managed through behavioral therapies in conjunction with prescribed drugs (NIMH, 2009). Hence, Philips received the best and most appropriate cure that enabled her to regain control of her life. Patients can utilize multiple strategies to minimize the prolonged effects of exposure to trauma (Revelant & Keegan, 2018). First, leading alcohol and drug-free life can help Phillips minimize her PTSD effects and prevent her from experiencing a PTSD relapse. Second, engaging in healthy activities such as yoga, meditation, and body massage has proven helpful in reducing the effects of PTSD on a patient (Revelant & Keegan, 2018). Lastly, Philips can avoid exposure to traumatic experiences by occasionally visiting the counselor. Hence, by heeding the recommendations, Philips can live a happy life free from mental distress.
Finally, early diagnosis of PTSD is essential in alleviating the pain patients go through due to undiagnosed PTSD conditions. Phillips’ story also demonstrates that lack of or self-denial counseling after encountering traumatic experiences in one’s life can worsen one’s PTSD condition. Towards the end of her story, Phillips offers hope to other PTSD patients by confirming that the situation is medically manageable upon diagnosis. If the researcher got an interview opportunity with Phillips, they would ask her questions. Why did it take too long for doctors to diagnose Phillip with PTSD, yet she occasionally visited the hospital? Secondly, the researcher would be interested to know whether Phillips has any plans to establish PTSD-oriented programs to help other people struggling with PTSD conditions. Thus, Philips’s case is an actual representation of the manifestation and intervention of PTSD, a piece of evidence the condition is treatable.
References
Friedman, M. J. (2015). Posttraumatic and Acute Stress Disorders (6th ed. 2015 ed.). Springer.
NIMH. (2009). Stress in the animal kingdom: What we can learn. Youtuube.
Phillips, P. (2009). My story of survival: Battling PTSD. Anxiety and Depression Association of America.
Revelant, J., & Keegan, K. (2018). PTSD Stigma: Why It Exists and What We Can Do About It | Everyday Health. EverydayHealth.Com.
Young, C., & Skorga, P. (2011). Acute traumatic stress treatment. Nursing Times, 107(44), 17.