Chiappelli, Iribarren, Neagos, and Prolo described posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a mental disorder resulting from an individual experiencing or witnessing a dangerous event for life (2005). However, the continued study of PTSD has redefined the definition of an individual involved in any type of trauma. Back, Gros, Lancaster, and Teeters concluded that an individual must experience specific symptoms in four categories over a period of one month (2016). Symptoms cannot be attributed to medications, medical conditions, or substance abuse (2016). The four categories consist of the following; the first group is known as reexperiencing symptoms which includes nightmares, flashbacks, recurring memories, the second group is called avoidance symptoms which includes avoiding feelings, thoughts, people and places associated with the event, the third category includes counterproductive changes in mood and thoughts that include a distorted perception of oneself and/or the world, shame, guilt, feelings of numbness and alienation, and the inability to remember important details of the event, and the last area involves the individual's personality which is altered to include a change in irritability, becoming careless, the inability to get quality sleep, the inability to concentrate coherently, and increased hypervigilance. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay There are no records in history of individuals suffering from the above symptoms in times of conflict and life-threatening situations. Does this mean that PTSD is a new phenomenon or was it not documented due to lack of awareness at the time? Previously, in America during and after the wars, before the Vietnam War, the focus was not on the psychological state of an individual but rather on the physical illness of the serviceman sent to fight. The first focus on PTSD came from the Vietnam War, however, another area has paved the way for continuing further research on PTSD (Good et. al, 2015). These were the traumatic events that happened to the children. These events included sexual trauma, incest, and domestic violence. During the expansion of the psychological effects of trauma, American culture experienced a phase of denial that lasted from the 1950s to the 1970s, then moved to the validation phase from the 1970s to the 1990s, finally, the Americans have reacted negatively to families created by incest, sexual abuse of children, and rape in general (Good et. al, 2015). In the case of the United States, expanding awareness and education helps usher in healthier living for people diagnosed with PTSD. The stigma once associated with PTSD is fading into the horizons, and acceptance and understanding are replacing it. Now, in Oaxacan, Mexico, mental illness diagnoses have increased over the past 20 years to include post-traumatic stress disorder. Since the 1990s, more psychiatric and psychological services have been made available across the city. Although the definition of PTSD has changed to include any trauma, Mexican culture does not see it that way. Many cases of domestic abuse are coming to the forefront due to the increasing availability of psychological services. Although domestic abuse has tertiary effects and has been a focal point in the onset of PTSD, domestic violence is seen as a“cultural problem” and women are not diagnosed with PTSD, however, PTSD survivors may be diagnosed with PTSD symptoms. . A woman named Amapola, described how growing up with domestic violence her entire life made this type of act the norm and although she felt many symptoms of PTSD she continued to live as if this was the way a woman should live (Buona et al., 2015). After reading a billboard calling for a world without violence with a phone number attached, his ideas changed and he is now able to address his symptoms of isolation, anger, frustration, helplessness, marginalization, vulnerability and low self-esteem. More education is found in cities, however, in many rural areas ignorance is even more entrenched and entrenches domestic abuse as part of their customs (Good et. al, 2015). Mexico interprets PTSD as extraordinary acts outside of common events, therefore domestic violence is ingrained in Mexican society and is a disqualifying factor for PTSD. In Mexico, by increasing the overall capacity to receive help for psychological disorders, individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder can receive help and have a better quality of life. However, for individuals experiencing domestic abuse, their case can be further exacerbated if the individuals are classified as having PTSD. This could project faster reform for equal rights for women. A third culture where PTSD has had a lot of visibility is within the military in recent decades. Being a Soldier from 2005 to today I have witnessed the cultural change surrounding this topic. In 2005, if an individual was known to visit behavioral health, a negative connotation was associated with it. This was emphasized even more with Soldiers who had security clearance. In order to maintain a security clearance, a review is conducted after a specified period of years depending on the security clearance held. The negative connotation added to the fear of losing their security clearance prevents Soldiers from asking for and receiving psychological help. This led the soldiers to solve their problems on their own. For some this was difficult but they succeeded, for others they could not help but resort to violence, murder and/or suicide. Over the years I have witnessed how our culture has changed. The stigma attached to visiting a psychologist is fading into the background. The fear of losing a security clearance is not as prevalent as education is becoming at the forefront of what signs alarm investigators when you are ready to renew your security clearance. Now more than ever, Soldiers are not only receiving the help they need through command directive, but they are self-referring to gain the skills they need to live with the experiences they have endured. In the military, research, understanding and a desire to help are shaping the culture to embrace healthier living physically, emotionally and mentally. Within American culture the external obstacles that PTSD faces are the amount of yet unknown information on the subject, the individual's inability to receive help such as health insurance to pay for the help , etc. Some internal barriers are the beliefs an individual has about receiving help. Many people think they can do it themselves, they don't trust thepsychologist/psychiatrist, they are afraid this will happen if they get help, etc. Some of the areas that allow for traumatic experiences are rural areas like those mentioned above in Mexico. This is the perfect environment to not only perpetuate traumatic events from generation to generation, but also validate their presence through ignorance. In this case, the stitching of traumatic events woven into daily life creates a quilt of normality that no one thinks to question and that everyone embraces regardless of the outcome. The main obstacles here are the lack of awareness throughout the community, the structures set up to help people, and the ingrained acceptance of people within the community. Finally, within the military, some of the internal struggles that still occur are the fear of losing their job due to ignorance of the process, the belief that they can handle themselves, the idea of ​​appearing weak in seeking help, especially in an environment where we are all expected to appear strong. . One of the most astonishing feats accomplished by the army was the removal of most external obstacles. They have worked with civilian psychologists and psychiatrists and developed Master Resiliency Training, encouraged seeking help if you need it, commands direct and educate soldiers about their concerns regarding loss of security clearance, offer training on suicide and provide hotlines to call if they need help, they hold courses on sexual assault and harassment and encourage people who have experienced that trauma to seek help through anonymous channels and/or launch a formal investigation into the matter. the situation, whatever the individual feels comfortable with. With change in the military comes social change. The question is: what change needs to happen to provide help to people with PTSD on a global scale, and what factors need to be considered? First, there is no one solution that works for every culture. There is doubt in the field of psychology when approaching a “psychological universality” towards cognition, emotion, motivation and interpersonal/social regulation. This is due to the type of communication used. Not all cultures communicate the same way or use the same type of language/gestures to convey a message or use the same healing methods. There needs to be cultural awareness and sensitivity when conducting studies. While having one approach towards each specific culture may not be realistic due to the daunting nature surrounding it, there may be times when similar cultures can be combined and one approach can work. Because the West is a highly studied area, many areas globally have not been exposed to what PTSD is, how it can affect a person's life, and how to deal with it. Universal education must occur alongside studies of individuals in their natural environment. There are pilot studies on refugees outside of their natural environment, but this creates a false illusion about what their reality will be if they return home and if the methods are successful in their natural environment (Cahill et. al, n.d.). Developing a way forward for healthcare should also be considered when educating different cultures about physical and mental issues and providing a healing system conducive to their culture. There are research groups currently addressing these concerns. Some are the World Health Organization (WHO), the Friendship Bench program in Zimbabwe, group interpersonal psychotherapy, etc. Please note: this is just an example. Get a personalized document now come on