by Randy Dao
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a health condition that affects people who have experienced a shocking event that may lead to a frightening and often dangerous reaction. Everyone experiences a shocking event differently, and some may get affected by them more severely than others.
PTSD affects a person’s mind in many ways. For example, it can cause sleep problems, loss of concentration, traumatizing flashbacks of feeling like you’re going through the same event, avoiding talking about the situation, depression, anxiety, and more. These can lead to an unhealthy lifestyle permanently if not treated properly.
PTSD usually begins within the first three months of the traumatizing event. After the effect has taken place, victims of this disorder start to feel distressed and hallucinate. Their bodies react negatively by the increase of blood pressure and heart rates, which rapid breathing can lead to heart problems and a very unhealthy lifestyle, according to https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/index.shtml.
PTSD affects a person’s mind in many ways. For example, it can cause sleep problems, loss of concentration, traumatizing flashbacks of feeling like you’re going through the same event, avoiding talking about the situation, depression, anxiety, and more. These can lead to an unhealthy lifestyle permanently if not treated properly.
PTSD usually begins within the first three months of the traumatizing event. After the effect has taken place, victims of this disorder start to feel distressed and hallucinate. Their bodies react negatively by the increase of blood pressure and heart rates, which rapid breathing can lead to heart problems and a very unhealthy lifestyle, according to https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/index.shtml.
An educator from East Oakland, Jeff Ducan from the TEDxGoldenGateED, speaks about “Growing Roses in Concrete.” He stated that children who lived a life with difficult circumstances are twice as likely to get PTSD, than soldiers who serve the army. Jeff points out that a rose growing in a concrete, related to children who go through life dealing with family problems like abuse, the struggles in school, neglection throughout life, homeless etc.. These examples can lead to children who don’t have the support they want and need in life in order to obtain a good childhood.
Jeff gives an example of “Growing Roses in Concrete” which has the meaning about having ambitions goals and reaching them despite the circumstances and conflicts we are faced. He tells a story about Tupac Shakur and how he was granted hope and optimism from an elderly woman named Maya Angelou early in 1990’s, about the African American’s history and the suffering they had to go through, so that people like Tupac could live, where his live and values of himself are important to others.
“Pac not for his damaged pebbles, but for his tenacity in his will to reach the sun, because Maya was able to see Pac as a Rose in Concrete and because Maya created the opportunity for Pac to come back to the concrete, Pac came back to the concrete year after year and he reached his student after student all over the globe.”
This quote relates to many YB students including me, because life is like a road. It has bumps, cracks, and obstacles, but in the end, it will get you somewhere. There are many difficult obstacles we face in our lives that we overcome in order to better ourselves. We all face challenges in every point in our lives. It is what drives us to become better as humans. Every student in YB goes through many difficulties in their lives. Things like family/friend problems, bad grades, break-ups, etc.. create students to have a wide range of emotions like stress and depression. These factors lead students to have low-self esteem and can affect their daily performance in school and in life, and without somebody to be there for them, it can create a huge impact.
In a survey conducted at Yerba Buena, 32 students were asked whether they have ever experienced any traumatic events in the past. A staggering 51.5% says that they have experienced such scary events as it lead most of the students feeling very stressed, and the majority having depression/anxiety. Although these events may not lead directly to PTSD, many people’s health may be negatively affected greatly if not taken care of, which could lead to the chance of it becoming PTSD.
Jeff gives an example of “Growing Roses in Concrete” which has the meaning about having ambitions goals and reaching them despite the circumstances and conflicts we are faced. He tells a story about Tupac Shakur and how he was granted hope and optimism from an elderly woman named Maya Angelou early in 1990’s, about the African American’s history and the suffering they had to go through, so that people like Tupac could live, where his live and values of himself are important to others.
“Pac not for his damaged pebbles, but for his tenacity in his will to reach the sun, because Maya was able to see Pac as a Rose in Concrete and because Maya created the opportunity for Pac to come back to the concrete, Pac came back to the concrete year after year and he reached his student after student all over the globe.”
This quote relates to many YB students including me, because life is like a road. It has bumps, cracks, and obstacles, but in the end, it will get you somewhere. There are many difficult obstacles we face in our lives that we overcome in order to better ourselves. We all face challenges in every point in our lives. It is what drives us to become better as humans. Every student in YB goes through many difficulties in their lives. Things like family/friend problems, bad grades, break-ups, etc.. create students to have a wide range of emotions like stress and depression. These factors lead students to have low-self esteem and can affect their daily performance in school and in life, and without somebody to be there for them, it can create a huge impact.
In a survey conducted at Yerba Buena, 32 students were asked whether they have ever experienced any traumatic events in the past. A staggering 51.5% says that they have experienced such scary events as it lead most of the students feeling very stressed, and the majority having depression/anxiety. Although these events may not lead directly to PTSD, many people’s health may be negatively affected greatly if not taken care of, which could lead to the chance of it becoming PTSD.
A Yerba Buena high school student, whom I will refer to as Darian in this story to protect their privacy, gives us his involvement on how he experienced a life-scarring event that lead to PTSD. He talks about the traumatic event that lead him to feel distraught and filled with anxiety, where he was at worked and got electrocuted. As the high school student was electrocuted, he felt isolated and alone. This lead to him panicking because he was all alone and no one was around to help. This main reason lead him to have anxiety, dealing with all sorts of metal objects.
Darian also explains how this lead to traumatic event started affecting his daily life a couple months after the accident, which lead to him having PTSD. He would always feel alone everyday and had sleeping problems which lead to countless anxiety, and shortage of breath leading him to take anxiety pills. How this affected him and his family was his parents would stay up hours to wait for him to fall asleep and take care of him because he was having trouble sleeping at night.
Darian describes that he is more cautious whenever going out anywhere and needing to charge his phone. This would cause him to have anxiety and afraid of any static shock when touching someone or any metal like object that leads to an electricity spark which reminds him of the traumatic event that happened to him, leading to the thought of feeling alone without anyone being there to help him.
Darian explains how he overcame this problem, “I overcame this anxiety although it took a while. It made me feel more stronger as a person, and realize the value of life and I felt at peace.” Now that he has overcame his fear of metal, he is still aware of his surroundings and he stated that he is doing well, thanks to his family and friends who were there for him.
Going back out and connecting ourselves to life, it is always helpful to have someone by your side. Weather it be a close friend, family member, or even a teacher. Having someone to talk to never hurts and telling them about your problem can always create a better situation.
Connection this with Darian’s story, although there are many challenges we face, we need to realize that the life we have been granted is something to be grateful for, because there are millions out there who suffer more than we do. As YB students, we should see the values in our lives and be more thankful for the things we have, like our education, our family, our friends, and many more.
Darian also explains how this lead to traumatic event started affecting his daily life a couple months after the accident, which lead to him having PTSD. He would always feel alone everyday and had sleeping problems which lead to countless anxiety, and shortage of breath leading him to take anxiety pills. How this affected him and his family was his parents would stay up hours to wait for him to fall asleep and take care of him because he was having trouble sleeping at night.
Darian describes that he is more cautious whenever going out anywhere and needing to charge his phone. This would cause him to have anxiety and afraid of any static shock when touching someone or any metal like object that leads to an electricity spark which reminds him of the traumatic event that happened to him, leading to the thought of feeling alone without anyone being there to help him.
Darian explains how he overcame this problem, “I overcame this anxiety although it took a while. It made me feel more stronger as a person, and realize the value of life and I felt at peace.” Now that he has overcame his fear of metal, he is still aware of his surroundings and he stated that he is doing well, thanks to his family and friends who were there for him.
Going back out and connecting ourselves to life, it is always helpful to have someone by your side. Weather it be a close friend, family member, or even a teacher. Having someone to talk to never hurts and telling them about your problem can always create a better situation.
Connection this with Darian’s story, although there are many challenges we face, we need to realize that the life we have been granted is something to be grateful for, because there are millions out there who suffer more than we do. As YB students, we should see the values in our lives and be more thankful for the things we have, like our education, our family, our friends, and many more.