Teenage tv series 13 reasons why develops an encouraging and inspiring storyline intended to encourage teenagers to fight their nightmares despite physical difficulties they may encounter. The character in this film, Jessica Davies is a teenage girl who has a perfect life and a good boyfriend whom she loves very much. She is disappointed by the way his boyfriend did not defend her when she was raped at a party. The rape creates a mental disorder in the character but she later overcomes it with the help of her parents and friends. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that can be developed after a person is exposed to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault or other threats on a person's life (Mayo Clinic, 2014). The disease is most common in teenagers and may lead to other complications when it is a sexual assault as seen in Jessica. The symptoms of PTSD are disturbing thoughts, feelings or dreams related to the events. In Jessica's case the symptoms showed when she started having bad thoughts and even having dreams related to the rape. At the end of the series, we can see the treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder as Jessica's storyline shows the support, she received from friends that lead to her success in overcoming the disorder and finally being at peace with the traumatic event (rape).
Diagnosing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder begins with observing the individual having nightmares while sleeping and even having disturbing feelings and thoughts. While it is normal for human beings to sometimes have nightmares or even bad thoughts, PTSD will have an intense impact on the feelings and dreams of an individual. According to Corvalan &Klein, 2011, the diagnosis is revealed when an individual experiences depression leading to intentional self-harm or even suicide. It is often paired with the inability to fit in public places or possession of guilt when trying to socialize. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is elaborated as an influential disease and it can threaten or kills the patient's life, education and socialization. Jessica may fit this category due to her inability to socialize freely with her friends. The disease also costed her relationship since she could not be able to freely communicate with her boyfriend. Jessica also took a break from attending school since she was still not free to accept what had happened to her. Jessica shows that she is stressed throughout the series when she tries to intentionally self-harm herself. Another character trait that pairs with this disorder are isolation. Isolation is the feeling of wanting to be left alone and not mingle or socialize with others. This trait is very harmful and dangerous to a person with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder since they will see themselves as victims because of the traumatic effects of the event (McHugh & Treisman, 2007). Jessica decides to isolate herself from her friends and family due to the guilt of rape. This isolation showed that Jessica had PTSD as she was uncomfortable to face other people due to the rape.
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Posttraumatic Stress Disorder can have an impact on anyone but the ones most affected are the teenagers. This disorder can strike anyone whichever age since all people can be stressed after a traumatic event. It has been shown that adults have a higher percentage of handling this posttraumatic stress. Teenagers have a hard time adjusting to accept the event therefore most of them are diagnosed with this disorder. Jessica is certainly a teenager therefore finding a hard time handling the stress. Jessica says "no matter what I do, you are still on top of me and I can't breathe." This statement clearly shows that the character was still in the stage of disbelief and didn't like the things she did after the incident. According to Butcher, Hooley & Mineka, 2014, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder usually impacts those around the victim. Friends and family members are always able to have a better view of the individual and their involvement can play a role in the development of the disorder. It is their role to keep reminding the individual that they are still loved and cared for even after the incident. In Jessica's scenario, Alex being her boyfriend is very supportive and gives advice that helps her to recover. Despite this effort from her boyfriend and the rest of her friends, Jessica still feels like she is not ready to face the world because she thinks that some part of her has been stolen from her.
There are various ways Posttraumatic Stress Disorder can be treated. One can opt to take medication or treat with cognitive behavioral therapy. The therapy is proven to be the best way to fight the disorder. This type of therapy would involve exposure hence the name exposure therapy. This is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy where it assists the trauma survivors to re-experience distressing related memories to facilitate successful emotional processing of the trauma memory (Solomon, Bleich, Shoham, Nardi & Kotler, 1992). Mostly used program is an imaginal confrontation with the traumatic memories. The therapy educates the survivors about the disorder and why it is making them feel the way they feel. It helps them to think positively about themselves and therefore has an easy time socializing with other people. Jessica's recovery is quietly similar since she went on a couple of therapy sessions. The school was able to provide a counselor her although she was reluctant at first. She also received some bits of advice from friends and she was able to overcome the disorder. She ran for school president to show that even after the traumatic event she was still able to stand for herself. In one of the scenes, Jessica approaches confidently the guy who raped her and tells him that "You didn't break me or I guess the parts that you did break, I'm rebuilding them." Medication can also be used to treat PTSD. The most common medication used is serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, which help in controlling disturbing feelings and thoughts.
In conclusion, PTSD is very common for most people. Each sign and symptom of PTSD may also vary from person to person. It is best if there could be public education on the impacts of this disorder, therefore, decreasing the number of people suffering from it. Treatment that has been proven to work for the disorder is medication and psychotherapy. Many people can view PTSD as a simple disorder but they are wrong since it complex because it is a suffering disorder where the past is always present in people haunted by their memories of the traumatic events (Arzi, Solomon & Dekel, 2000). It can be also be viewed in a positive direction as an opportunity for psychological growth due to the human ability to adapt and rise despite experiencing adversity and tough times.
References
Arzi, N. B., Solomon, Z., & Dekel, R. (2000). Secondary traumatization among wives of PTSD and post-concussion casualties: Distress, caregiver burden and psychological separation. Brain injury , 14 (8), 725-736.
Butcher, J., Hooley, J., & Mineka, S. (2014). Abnormal Psychology (16th ed.). Boston, MA; Pearson Education.
Corvalan, J. C., & Klein, D. (2011). PTSD: diagnosis, evolution, and treatment of combat-related psychological/psychiatric injury. Missouri medicine , 108 (4), 296.
Mayo Clinic. (2014). Diseases And Conditions. Conditions/post-traumatic-stress-disorder/basics/symptoms/CON-20022540.
McHugh, P. R., & Treisman, G. (2007). PTSD: A problematic diagnostic category. Journal of anxiety disorders , 21 (2), 211-222.
Solomon, Z., Bleich, A., Shoham, S., Nardi, C., & Kotler, M. (1992). The „koach" ︁ project for treatment of combat‐related PTSD: Rationale, aims, and methodology. Journal of Traumatic Stress , 5 (2), 175-193.
