Research Assessment #2

Date: September 13, 2017

Subject:

Natural Course, Prediction, and Risk Factors of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

MLA Citation: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder NEJM. Edited by Dan L Longo , New

England Journal of Medicine, Arieh Shalev, M.D., Israel Liberzon, M.D., and Charles

Marmar, M.D., 22 June 2017, www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra1612499.

The chosen article, found in The New England Journal of Medicine, thoroughly explains

what exactly Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is. To summarize, the report elaborates on how

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric dysfunction that can occur following the

experience or witnessing of life-threatening events such as military combat, natural disasters,

serious accidents, and physical or sexual assault. How one is to develop PTSD, along with

statistics regarding its likelihood, are clarified as well. While, reading this passage new

information was introduced; for instance, PTSD does not develop after the exposure. According

to The New England Journal of Medicine, this illness is formed after periods of great sensitivity

to stress.

This information relates heavily to my topic of study, as an aspiring psychiatrist in the

Independent Study and Mentorship (ISM) program, I feel an urgent need to expose oneself to as

many mental dysfunctions as possible. The more I learn, the better I understand what my career

choice is truly about. Throughout my ISM journey, it is vital that I begin to become specific with

the categories of psychiatry I choose to research, on top of becoming aware with each element

that comes into play. To break the article down, this reading can be classified into two parts.
Symptoms and risk factors, those are the main points emphasized as a message to inform the

audience of what to be aware of when speaking on behalf of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Specifically, this area of study is geared more towards combat psychiatry, due to the data

conducted from The New England Journal of Medicine. The information presented slightly

modified my previous knowledge of PTSD, in terms of discovering that this mental disturbance

is a lot more intense than I perceived it to be. In the future I will use the data collected to

recognize signs of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and to clarify what exactly this illness is. In

addition, I have the utmost desire to help those in need of mental assistance, so this article will be

used to further my ability to comprehend what it is those who are sick have to go through/ have

gone through. I will be more understanding due to the outcome of this study. At this point, my

only question is how would one handle a patient with PTSD, who is getting out of hand? By out

of hand, I am referring to inappropriate behavior towards a medical doctor, such as psychiatrists.

Overall, the information presented has been helpful and also has lead me to accomplish my goal

of learning thoroughly about a certain mental blockade; in this case, PTSD. The demography of

people who have been struck with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder greatly surprised me; I was

not expecting so many individuals to have gone through such terrifying experiences. To have

become traumatized for long periods of time is a mind-blowing concept in the eyes of those who

are not; therefore, the details presented allowed an aspiring psychiatrist, such as myself, to grasp

a clearer understanding of precisely what makes PTSD so significant.