Clinical and forensic implications of post-traumatic stress disorder.

The presence of post-traumatic stress in a person can be relevant in legal proceedings.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a psychopathology that arises as a consequence of going through traumatic moments and whose symptoms can remain damaging the quality of life of the person for years or even decades; in fact, it is not rare the occasions in which a trauma originated in childhood conditions the way of being and feeling of the person once he/she has entered the stage of adulthood.

Because of its characteristics, PTSD is not simply a mental health problem; in many cases it has forensic implications that need to be that must be reflected in expert reports to ensure that legal proceedings (civil or criminal) are conducted with as much information as possible.

In this type of case, psychology professionals bring their experience and knowledge to study a case and, without taking sides, write down what they have observed about the possible causes and extent of a disorder such as PTSD.

What is the post-traumatic stress?

This alteration is produced before traumatic events that change the person's life.

Post-traumatic stress is a psychological condition that occurs in some people who experience or live through a traumatic situation of any kind at any stage of life. of any kind at any stage of life.

All traumatic situations generate a strong emotional imbalance in the person who lives them; however, in some cases the affected person continues to drag these symptoms of fear, stress or terror; it is then when we are facing a case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Mental health professionals believe that the onset of post-traumatic stress is due to a combination of causes and predispositions of both Biological and psycho-social nature.However, this disorder is usually triggered by present or past experiences that generated a strong level of discomfort in the person.

At present, treatment for PTSD has several years of scientific research behind it, and effective treatments have been developed to help the person with PTSD. effective treatments have been developed to help those who suffer from PTSD.. The intervention for this type of cases is usually psychological therapy, pharmacological therapy or a combination of both.

Causes

There are several risk factors that can lead to the onset of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, although ultimately these vary from person to person. according to their needs, their personality and their cultural and life context..

Some of the most notable risk factors are: having gone through dangerous circumstances during childhood (such as cases of violence, sexual abuse or recurrent maltreatment); observing a catastrophic or very violent event (related to violence or death) going through a long traumatic event linked to the death of a loved one or not having the necessary social or family support after such an event.

In addition, other factors that may precipitate the onset of PTSD are suffering additional stressful situations after the traumatic event and having a personal or family history of mental illness or use of mental illness. of mental illness or substance use.

Symptoms or psychological effects

The symptoms associated with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can last for several years and also vary from person to person, however, the most common symptoms can be grouped into 4 types:

1. flashback symptoms.

These consist of reliving the traumatic event reliving the past traumatic event (sometimes exaggerated and magnified by the imagination, sometimes not) in the form of very vivid flashbacks vivid flashbacks, nightmares or intrusive disturbing thoughts.

2. Avoidance symptoms

They consist of avoidance of situations, thoughts or physical places reminiscent of the traumatic event experienced.

3. Hypervigilance and reactivity symptoms

Symptoms caused by nervousness and states of constant vigilance or alertness.. Examples include difficulty sleeping, startling and outbursts of anger.

4. Cognitive and Mood Symptoms

These are those negative changes at the cognitive or belief level.. Some examples are thoughts of guilt, negative thoughts about oneself related to the traumatic event, concentration problems or loss of interest in hobbies prior to the event.

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When is it necessary to conduct expert and clinical reports on a PTSD chaos in a judicial process?

Sometimes, it is important to analyze the forensic repercussions of both the PTSD symptoms themselves and the situations that can be considered causes or triggers of this psychological disturbance. It should not be forgotten that post-traumatic stress disorder is a phenomenon that often arises as a result of episodes of violence and accidents resulting from negligence..

Thus, some of the forensic implications of PTSD that can be explored through an expert witness process are as follows regarding the causes of the disorder are the following:

• Has PTSD arisen from dynamics of domestic violence, child abuse, bullying, mobbing, sexual abuse, or other forms of physical or psychological violence?
• Has PTSD arisen because of accidents caused by someone else's failure to comply with road safety rules?
• Has PTSD arisen because of negligence in the context of occupational risk prevention?

On the other hand, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder also has clinical and forensic implications in terms of its consequences. Let's look at some of the most important ones:

• Can an altered state of consciousness triggered by PTSD explain the person's criminal behavior?
• Does PTSD render the person unable to work in his or her professional field?
• Does PTSD have implications for a person's ability to care for dependents?
• To what extent has this disorder damaged and continues to damage the person's quality of life?