1).
Symptoms.
The symptoms aggravated by events after a traumatic event or disaster were mostly avoidance symptoms of PTSD including: numbed feelings, diminished interest in life, feelings of detachment, inability to recall some aspect of the traumatic experience, and efforts to avoid people, places, and activities that evoked memories of the trauma. Post-disaster events and circumstances had less effect on the anxiety and arousal symptoms like insomnia, agitation, nightmares, intrusive memories, jumpiness or an exaggerated startle response, and strong physical reactions to reminders of the traumatic event (Maes, M. et al, 2001, p.1-12). The interesting observation in this example is that patients with PTSD suffer from intense recollections of traumatic events even during a time of general decline in symptoms.
An interesting study, dealing with the idea that dementia increases PTSD symptoms, describes and explains the symptoms of PTSD. Three cases of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms associated with cognitive decline were examined. These patients all had war-related PTSD. In each case, the patient had a history of PTSD that was under fairly good control until the onset of cognitive impairment. (Mittal, D, Torres, R, Abashidze, A, Jimerson, N, 2001, p. 1). .
Chronic post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) increases medical morbidity and mortality. Conversely, medical problems may precipitate PTSD symptoms. Some case reports suggest emergence of PTSD symptoms after accidental head trauma, whereas this study focused on persistence in late life and speculated on the role of delirium and dementia toward this phenomenon. This report describes and discusses worsening PTSD symptoms (Mittal, et al, 2001, p. 1).
The patients in this study presented complaints of depression, anxiety, and memory problems. Patients reported PTSD symptoms that included re-experiencing combat trauma and avoidance of stimuli associated with war.