Stress and Memory Loss essays

Stress and Memory Loss essays At some point in every persons' life, they will experience some kind of trauma. And though we know the shock of trauma usually occurs instantly, we cannot always anticipate how the anxiety may affect us in the long term. For some, who have personally been exposed to a life threatening event, or have been confronted with any type of seriously disturbing event sometimes develop what is known as acute distress. Acute distress may leave a person feeling frazzled after a few sleepless nights, but it is not something to be exceptionally worried about until it persists for over a month. When this happens it is called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). (Schiraldi, G. 2009) What many people do not realize, is that Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can occur at any age, including childhood. Symptoms usually begin within the first 3 months after the trauma, though it can be months, even years before symptoms appear. Many times the symptoms associated with PTSD cause significant problems with marriages, social relationships, and occupational life. According to the DSM-IV-TR (the diagnostic manual of mental disorders) symptoms include: persistent frightened thoughts and memories of the trauma, feeling emotionally numb or detached, difficulty falling or staying sleep, difficulty concentrating, irritability or outbursts of anger, hyper-vigilance, exaggerated startle response, as well as not being able to recall certain events or even missing huge gaps of time in their lives. This is commonly referred to as dissociate memory loss. This last example still has researches at a loss. What impact does uncontrollable stress have upon memory function? According to an article published by Yale University, School of Medicine, there have been neuroimaging studies to determine the areas of the brain that are affected by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The two brain areas that have been consistently mentioned include the hippocampus, the area of...