Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Defining abnormality as well as mental disorder is sometimes difficult. It normally depends on the tools you use to define abnormality since what you consider to be abnormal might be normal to someone else. Therefore, psychologist should try to deal with individuals in a different manner so that they can easily realize their level of abnormality. One of the best suggested methods to identify abnormality is by the use of the four Ds. The method helps a psychologist to classify behaviors as normal or abnormal. This paper is aimed at defining whether PTSD is an abnormal behavior or not using the four Ds.

The four Ds stands for deviance, distress, dysfunctional and danger. Deviant behavior is one that is very different to the behavior of a certain society within a given time (Comer, 2011). PTSD is one of the mental disorders that exhibit such behaviors. An example of a PTSD symptom that is considered to be defiant is when an individual feels completely detached from the society and this makes him/her to be emotionally numb. This is a deviant behavior to many societies since a human being is a social being and it is considered to be deviant in all societies if you detach yourself from others.

Distress is another factor that is used to clarify abnormality. When emotions and actions cause someone to be distressed, then they can be considered abnormal. PTSD is one of the mental disorders that cause individuals to experience feelings of intense distress. This normally happens when someone suffering from PTSD is reminded of a certain traumatic event (National Institute of Mental Health, 2010). There are other symptoms of PTSD that are known to cause distress. Some of them include: hopelessness and depression, hypervigilance, difficulties in concentrating etc (National Institute of Mental Health, 2010).

Dysfunction is a condition whereby someone behaviors completely interfere with day to day life. People with such behaviors are usually accepted to live that way as they get support from the well-wishers. PTSD mental illness is known to cause such behaviors because individual suffering from it might result into substance abuse. Substance abuse is considered to be a dysfunction behavior.

An abnormal behavior sometimes may be a danger to an individual or others in the society. If a behavior can cause danger to an individual then it is classified as an abnormal behavior. PTSD can cause danger to an individual suffering from it because he/she will experience suicidal feelings and thoughts thus posing a great danger to his/her life.

In conclusion, I would argue that PTSD is an abnormal behavior because the 4Ds discussed above have managed to classify it as one. It is therefore advisable for psychologist to be observant when classifying abnormal behaviors.