the psychology behind
written by Ashmita Annamalai & Anvitha Mattapalli
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Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that may occur in people who have either witnessed or experienced a traumatic event, such as a severe accident, a natural disaster, a sexual assault, or a near-death situation. This condition may last months or even years, and usually will not alleviate without psychotherapy. When trauma first occurs, our “reptilian brain” (the brain stem, which is responsible for the most important functions of life such as breathing, blood pressure, and heart rate) takes control. The brain stem triggers the “fight or flight” response and all body and mind functions that are not vital are shut down so our body can recognize and focus on what we need to survive. After the threat goes away, the parasympathetic nervous system resumes the functions that were shut down earlier. However, for some trauma survivors, the after effects of the experience remain. For these people, the brain’s “threat and alarm system” becomes very sensitive and is triggered easily. This causes the parts of the brain that are accountable for thinking and memory to stop functioning properly. Because of the
PTSD
overly sensitive nature, it is hard to separate “normal” events happening in the present from dangerous events that happened in the past. There are three main parts of the brain that contribute to PTSD: the amygdala, the prefrontal cortex, and the hippocampus. The amygdala is responsible for emotions and can detect threats in the surroundings. It activates the “fight or flight” response and “then activate[s] the sympathetic nervous system to help deal with the threat” (Telemynd). People who have PTSD usually have an overactive amygdala, causing irrational thoughts. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is responsible for regulating attention and awareness, making decisions about the best response to a sudden situation, determining the significance of events, regulating emotions, and inhibiting dysfunctional reactions (Telemynd). For people who have PTSD, the PFC is underactive and the regulation of emotion and dysfunctional reactions does not occur at the right times. Lastly, the hippocampus is responsible for storing and retrieving memories and differentiating between past and present experiences. Succeeding a
