Medical Model (Criminological 'theory')

[ruby0711]

How does this explain those that do not develop PTSD after a traumatic effect? The DSM tries too hard to categorize disorders. Look at Schizophrenia. Mental illness is not mutually exclusive.

Very easy...

First off, you have to remember that the DSM is simply a tool for insurance companies...codes for payment with a very very short explaination of what a disorder is. While it is a usefull tool for real clinicians to diagnose, the only time it is used is to refresh memory and look up insurance codes.

That is why the DSM is there.....to catagorize...it is doing what it is supposed to be doing......and I am not sure what you are trying to say with the last part of the above statement.

Students tend to over-value the book, people who work in the field do not.

Now, to explain why some people develop PTSD while others do not...

1. A supportive envirnonment after the initial trauma is KEY to prevent full blown PTSD. (another thing that the DSM does not tell you, is that there are different levels of PTSD)

The above theory has been proven time and time again on many different types of psychological trauma. For examply; a rape victim may suffer from RTS (Rape Trauma Syndrome) after the assault, however, how the victim is treated by police, medical personel, family and society can prevent full blown PTSD symptoms.

Vietnem Vets; out of all wars, have the highest incidents of PTSD..why? We treated them like crap when they came home. (while only one of the reason...it is a BIG one)

Hopefully we learned from that.

Now, after 9/11, the psych world went into overdrive, since we can not traumatize people in the lab (something about ethics...) we have to wait until there is a tragedy to learn about it..

So off we went, setting up million dollar funds to give free psych help to those who needed it in the tri-state area.

No one came.

We wondered why.

We as a nation came together and supported each other. There was no mass of people running to seek help because of PTSD symptoms. (I am CERTAINLY not saying that people were not traumatized, but it was not the amount that was predicted)

So us in the psych world looked at why people DO NOT suffer, and new credible-reproduced theory's were born.

Some advice;

Never..ever stick to one theory...look at them all. Books mean nothing, there is no cookie-cutter diagnoses, no cookie cutter cure for ANY mental illness. As a student, it is easy to believe one theory over another, but when you really start getting your hands dirty, the clinicians are not going to take anyone seriously who starts out by saying 'based on what I have read'....

Trust me, I've been there.

[Jennifer]

I think we are on the same page just going about it differently. By definition, a stressor is the prime causative factor in the development of PTSD. However, the stressor alone is not sufficient to cause PTSD. There are also pre-existing biological and psychosocial factors that must be taken into account as well. But that has been my point all along; there is NO one sure way for someone to develop a mental illness.

As for the DSM, I simply meant that it is not the best for diagnosing because it categorizes. And, as I am sure you have seen, most disorders are not cut and dry. And yes, it does so for practical reasons such as for insurance purposes.

[ruby0711]

Jennifer...

Good luck on your studies....you will do well.

[Jennifer]

Jennifer...

Good luck on your studies....you will do well.

Thank you, I appreciate that.