PTSD In Brazil

As a Brazilian, I am very familiarized with violence and its consequences, therefore, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a familiar expression to me. Differently from the U.S, where PTSD can be related to psychological scars of the war(s), Brazil has its’ rates most associated with street violence and crimes, and this became a trigger to increase mental health issues all over the country. However – despite being acquainted with the theme – it was only after reflecting on Chapter 5, the lecture and the readings, that I realized the difference between Acute Stress Disorder and PTSD, confirmed the reasons therapy is more effective than pharmacological treatment and understood why some people are more resilient than others.
It made me very content when I saw this subject on the class’ syllabus since three years ago, back in Brazil, I was (mis)diagnosed with PTSD. Back then, me and my best friend were mugged and threatened with a gun in the university while returning home from classes. I remember feeling an intense fear all the time, waking up at night terrified and feeling …show more content…
However, for most people, these symptoms decrease with time” (p.155) This statement translates that not everyone that is exposed to a traumatic event will develop symptoms – and this was what happened to my friend. While I was experiencing the symptoms previously cited, she was dealing very well with the incident. At that time, I wasn’t able to comprehend why she wasn’t feeling as I was, but the material changed my view and now I know that there is a range of factors that can prevent a person from developing ASD/PTSD. Within these are individual, biological and sociocultural factors like the nature of the trauma, the ability to create meaning from the traumatic event, prompt treatment, having a high level of education, high IQ and even the size of the