Case Study 2: Hannah, age 55, was in a major car accident 20 years ago during a cross country trip. Ever since, she has been unable to drive on major highways. Although she does drive, she goes to great length to travel only on back roads and scenic routes. She is able to go where she wants but it often takes her much longer to get there than it should.
Hannah's fear of highways after her accident, shows me that she is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This disorder is normally caused by an experience that led to major physical or mental harm to the patient, such as car accidents, wars, and rape. The normal response is for that person to feel helpless and have a great sense of fear of any stimuli that remind them of the event.
Hannah endured a car accident almost 20 years ago, and she still suffers from it. Even though the physical traumas have been healed, her psychological state is still in shambles while driving. Since her experience was on a highway, Hannah is terrified of them. This symptom has gotten to be so intense, that Hannah avoids all highways, choosing to take the back roads that nearly double her drive time. Highways act as her stimuli, and bring back memories of the accident, causing Hannah to believe that it will happen again. This anxiety disorder is very severe. Normally symptoms of PTSD would be gone within 3 months of the event, yet twenty years later Hannah still suffers from them.
My treatment for Hannah would be immediate psychological help. I would recommend that she see a PTSD therapist as soon as possible. Though she may feel embarrassed or like she is weak, it is better for her to get treatment than live any longer with the disorder. She should have see a therapist right after the accident occurred because now it will take a much longer time for her to get over the event. She needs to know that this event is past, and will always be past.
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10 comments:
I agree with you about Hannah's condition. It is obviously shown that the accident caused post traumatic stress disorder. The fear of the highway is caused by the accident. Good job!
I agree compleatly with your annalysis i studied PPSD for the last blog when i did Brooke Shields. Good job
i really agree with your choice of diagnosis and treatment. i think the earlier Hannah sees a therapist the better. =)
You did a really good job explaining post traumantic stress disorder, and I agree with you on your diagnosis and treatment. good job!
I agree with the therapy that Hannah should receive. It really is sad how her incident affects her life now. Good job in describing her disorder and explaining how her symptoms relate to it. :)
Yes I completely agree with your diagnosis of the PTSD of the patient. Very good analysis. Because the patient has not gone to get treatment for so long, to will take some time to be able to recover of this disorder.
I am in complete agreement with your analysis. great post.
I agree with you about her condition. I like how you would treat it. Good job.
I agree with your diagnosis of Posttraumatic stress disorder and your treatment plan for it. Good job!
Nice! I cant imagine how that would feel if I got into a major car accident. Ive been driving (with a license) for over a year now and no wrecks for me im blessed...
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