PSCY9915 Case Study Analysis Of Post Traumatic Stress Disorders Homework 1 Answer

Answer :

PSCY9915 Civil Law – Psychiatry

Introduction

PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is a human brain problem that professionals encounter while working with an organisation. The respected experiences can be blamed that enables the human to feel stress while working or going through a similar phase of life. These occur due to the repeated events that horrify the person (Tan, et al., 2011). This health problem is not as good as it affects the professional's mental health aspects while working in an organisation. In many of the cases, it even leads to having sudden traumatic attacks and panic attacks as well. If this health issue is not diagnosed on time, it might lead to severe impacts, such as a depressing zone (Jaksic et al., 2012). The case study that is provided echoes a circumstance with a policeman, Mr X. He claims to have PTSD symptoms due to some experiences he had while working with the department. This report aims to justify the organisation that the policeman is faking his symptoms or not. For this purpose, this report will include segments such as an overview of the PTSD issues, the symptoms associated, and the analysis of the case study, empirical shreds of evidence from records, and the final judgment. 

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

The issues associated with Post Traumatic Stress Disorders hype when an individual experiences some horrifying events during his working life. PTSD symptoms include having nightmares, panic attacks, and unconventional thoughts that negatively boost the individual's dopamine. It often becomes difficult to cope-up with this mental health issue as the scar of the incidents lasts longer than the childhood memories (Shalev et al., 2017). In some of the recorded cases, individuals who had PTSD disorders even isolated themselves because of fear. Even if not isolated, the individuals who had PTSD issues recorded some drastic changes in the mood while working in the respective domains. That is why it is often said that having Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in early childhood might be easier for the individual to cope with, but once grown-up, the challenges become even difficult to diagnose. Although the symptoms are mild and not easily countable, mental health stability is perhaps essential to diagnose on a priority basis. If this health issue is not diagnosed on time, it might lead to severe impacts, such as a depressing zone (Cordova et al., 2017). If the policeman is claiming to have such an issue while working with the department, it becomes essential to provide diagnosis and interventions firsthand. 

What are the symptoms? 

PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is a human brain problem that professionals encounter while working with an organisation. The symptoms in this regard are mild and, in some cases, not curable. The symptoms that are going to be discussed are often associated with the daily activities of life, and thus, the cure becomes essential to intervene on a priority basis (Lavoie et al., 2011). The daily activities in this regard include but not limited to walking, sleeping, transporting, socialising, and interacting with self. The notifications or say symptoms include some horrifying flashbacks, vivid dreams, negative thoughts, stressfulness, and sudden sensations. These issues might lead to panic attacks, angry mood, alertness, irritation, strains, and unhealthy sleep.

There are four classifications of PTSD that are mentioned and researched by healthcare organisations. These include types such as intrusiveness, avoiding, negativity, and emotionally oriented Post Traumatic Stress Disorders. Based on these classifications, the interventions, diagnosis, and symptoms vary (Dunn et al., 2017). It is suggested not to ignore the notifications of having such a health issue that might lead to severe drastic implications. It often becomes difficult to cope-up with this mental health issue as the scar of the incidents lasts longer than the childhood memories. In many cases, the individuals who had PTSD disorders even isolated themselves because of the fear associated. 

Case study of the policeman

In the given case study, it has been found that the policeman, who is referred to as Mr X, claims to have PTSD issues as a result of his duty. He claims that the issue has occurred because he has faced many disturbing experiences that affected his mental health aspects. This becomes suspicious because one single reason is the benefits of the claim getting approved and sanctioned. Hence, the interventions and the benefits required to be imposed against "Hurt on Duty" are passed under the Civil Forensic Psychiatry department, and the code of conduct falls under the Civil Liability Act of 2002 (Alexander, 2017). If any policeman claims to have any hurt due to duty, the department has all the rights to investigate the truthfulness of the claimed scenario. That is why this report aims to justify on behalf of the organisation that is the policeman is faking his symptoms or not. In the process, the symptoms will be aligned with the allocated symptoms that healthcare organisations generally provide. These include horrifying flashbacks, vivid dreams, negative thoughts, stressfulness, and sudden sensations. 

The reasons that might have led to Mr X having this kind of mental health issue might include but not limited to various aspects. These include factors such as haphazardness, transportation issues, legal battles, and discrimination at the department (Vanzhulla et al., 2019). These things are common, as many case scenarios have observed similar incidents from the last couple of decades. These shreds of evidence are going to be echoed in the next section. However, by any chance, on the other hand, the policeman is found to be faking his symptoms that are associated with PTSD health standards. The implications are drastic and can cause PTSD issues to the individual. These include interventions and investigations related to duty and responsibilities, breach of care and respect, causations associated and the damage caused. 

Evidence from research 

The issues associated with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder have been found commonly associated with the individuals working in defence, police, and military departments. These departments are associated with stress-related work that often leads to difficulty in sleep, difficulties with physical activities, and even leads to anxiety and panic attacks. However, in many Australian police PTSD cases, individuals are found to be taking medicines and drugs to reduce the impact of health issues (Bryant, 2011). However, the fact that drugs and addiction cannot help overcome the issues associated with PTSD has been echoed loud by the psychiatrists. In the past few decades, the most common encounters that could be possibly marked as responsible for the PTSD attacks in police officers include gun fires, robberies, and bomb blasts. In this regard, the Australian police council echoed that 223 policemen were found to be associated with PTSD related issues around the year 2000 (NDLERF, 2013). This brings a major concern on the table of healthcare aspects to provide a proper diagnosis and counselling sessions for the individuals working in Australia's police department. It has also been found that finding dead bodies is also responsible for triggering PTSD symptoms in individuals working in defence, police, and military departments. Even as per the record and reports echoed in 2013, the Australian police department has encountered 13% cases of having PTSD due to road accidents and drastic flashback of the moments (NDLERF, 2013). Thus, the empirical evidence for having Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in policeman is common and is evident. 

In the same year, is 2013, many policemen claimed to have PTSD attacks because they have intervened and encountered more than 31% of the suicide cases of the country (NDLERF, 2013). Looking at a dead body in a phenomenal condition is not common. However, the training and orientations are provided during the early joining into the department. Still, brain and mental scenarios cannot be explained vividly lies under the common roof. Simultaneously, more than 91% of individuals working in the Australian Police Department have echoed loud that having stress at the workplace is common (Kessler et al., 2017). At least once every month, they come across some drastic investigation and crime scenes that leave a scar on their brain. With that said, more than 16% of the retired policeman are found to be associated with  Post Traumatic Stress Disorder even after getting off their respective job durations. Thus, it becomes essential to consider the working individuals associated with police and similar departments as human and impose some treatment and psychology medications for them (Langevin et al., 2010). The reasons that might have led to Mr X having this kind of mental health issue might include but not limited to various aspects. These include factors such as haphazardness, transportation issues, legal battles, and discrimination at the department. While the issue is a matter of concern, the majority of the claims got rejected. Even after 2005, 40 individuals working as police officers in Australia got inverse treatment against PTSD claims. 

Justification on the police man’s symptoms

In the given case study, it has been found that the policeman, who is referred to as Mr X, claims to have PTSD issues as a result of his duty. He claims that the issue has occurred because he has faced many disturbing experiences that affected his mental health aspects. From the above section, one thing is clear: the Australian Police Department has faced many similar incidents before and has rejected most of the claims (Gupta, 2013). From the comprehensive research, it has been found that more than 91% of individuals working in the Australian Police Department have echoed loud that having stress at workplace is common and at least for once every month they come across some drastic investigation and crime scenes which leaves a scar on their brain. As per the retreatment of such claims, it has been observed that the majority of the policemen was not faking their PTSD symptoms and was struggling with the issues. However, if Mr X is claiming that he has observed having symptoms of PTSD over the last couple of weeks and months, the tort law gives all the right to the department to issue the reforms (Bhatnagar et al., 2013). These might include reforms to actions such as NCAT, SIRA, TAC, and ACC. All these replications fall under the controlled authority of the Victorian Police Council. 

As far as the case study and the pieces of evidence are concerned, the policeman is not faking or exaggerating his symptoms because the mental health issues associated with PTSD are common in a policeman's lifecycle. Still, if the higher authority seeks legal jurisdictions, they might proceed with the boards such as NCAT, Fair Work Commission, Supreme Court Civil Division, and the Coroners Court of Australia (Liedl et al., 2010). However, if Mr X is found not guilty, the diagnosis and service of care should be immediately sanctioned. 

Conclusion

To conclude, it has been found that PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is a human brain problem that professionals encounter while working with an organisation. Further, this report aimed towards justifying on behalf of the organisation that the policeman is faking his symptoms. In this regard, this report has included sections such as an overview of the PTSD issues, the symptoms associated, and the analysis of the case study, empirical evidence from records, and the final judgment. While the empirical evidence and the comprehensive research have echoed loud that the Australian Police Department has faced many scenarios similar to what Mr X is claiming, most such cases have been rejected. Thus, it could be possibly echoed loud that the policeman is not faking or exaggerating his symptoms because the mental health issues associated with PTSD are common in a policeman's lifecycle. Still, if the higher authority seeks legal jurisdictions, they might proceed with the respective board of laws and justice.