Index Clay Jensen's struggles with PTSD in the '13 Reasons Why' series The impact of traumatic events and potential approaches therapeuticReference listAccording to the textbook of abnormal psychology "DSM" -5 describes the event that determines post-traumatic stress disorder is exposure to a traumatic event that an individual experiences or witnesses death or threat of death, actual or threatened serious injury or actual or threatened sexual violation. Post traumatic stress disorder is a type of anxiety disorder that can impact anyone. It is a very common disorder. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 15%-43% of adolescent boys and girls experience trauma, and 3%-15% of trauma survivors develop PTSD, and 14%- 43% of children and adolescents experience trauma and 1%-6% of them develop post-traumatic stress disorder. Traumas do not necessarily have to happen directly to the person, but to someone they love and who can still develop PTSD. according to the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation some of the symptoms are nightmares, flashbacks, avoidance of places that remind you of the event, feeling of numbness, guilt, loss of interest in things, easy fear and difficulty sleeping. Anyone suffering from PTSD may experience different symptoms depending on the trauma they have experienced. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Clay Jensen's struggles with PTSD in the "13 Reasons Why" series Clay Jensen from 13 Reasons Why portrays a teenager suffering from PTSD. Clay Jensen is a teenager who attends Liberty High School. Before the trauma he suffered from depression and anxiety, as mentioned in episode 2 of the first season. One of Clay's closest friends, Hannah Baker, committed suicide before the show began. Clay is a quiet boy, before Hannah he was always on the sidelines minding his own business. Before she committed suicide, Hannah left tapes with the 13 reasons why she did what she did. Each ribbon was dedicated to a person, including clay. Some of the symptoms of clay include hallucinations, sleep loss, flashbacks, feeling numb, and suicidal thoughts. After Hannah recorded the tapes, she gave them to her friend Tony to distribute in order. So that everyone who was a “reason” would know that they were a reason. The series begins with Clay receiving the tapes in the mail. When Clay is first given the tapes, he is confused, as he cannot remember anything he could have done to make her do what she did. When Clay first received the tapes, he only listened to them for about 30 seconds and then was so scared that he couldn't listen until the end of the episode. As he listens, you see him start to fall into this pit. He goes through different phases, at first he is sad, then angry at the people on the tapes, then angry at Hannah and then angry at himself. As he listens to these tapes, the show shows flashbacks of what happened. In a way it shows that as he listens he is reliving every sensation she felt at that moment. The first type of “hallucination” we see is at the end of the first episode, when Clay is at school and sees Hannah standing at the end of the hallway. We start to see that Clay is losing sleep because they start the first episode with Clay without even realizing it's morning. Stay up all night to listen to the first tape. When Clay enters the secondtape, he starts to get angry. Justin Foley is the second video in which he sexually assaulted Hannah. Justin plays an important role in Clay's life as he is one of the boys who grew up bullying him. As time goes by, Clay begins to become obsessed with these tapes. He believes he could have done something to save her. He then begins to behave out of character and seeks revenge on the people listed on the tapes. When the clay gets to the tape, he finds it very difficult to listen to. He didn't actually do anything wrong but Hannah says she couldn't make the tapes without mentioning it. Hannah says “Clay, Casco, your name doesn't belong on this list but you have to be here if I want to tell my story.” While listening to his tape he begins to think about suicide. He's with Tony in Tony's car and they're on a cliff. He's on the edge but Tony convinces him. In season two, Clay also contemplated suicide. When he went to the house of Bryce Walker, the boy who raped Hannah, he brought a gun. When Justin finds him outside with the gun he tells him to leave and Clay then points the gun at himself but then puts it down. The hallucinations also get worse in the second season. He feels like Hannah follows him everywhere. Clay Jensen exhibits almost all of the criteria needed to diagnose PTSD. The Impact of Traumatic Events and Potential Treatment Approaches There are many traumatic events that cause PTSD other than those Clay experienced. Any traumatic event such as abuse, bullying, loss of a parent, or even being a war veteran. According to the textbook of abnormal psychology, the development of PTSD may be somewhat biological. There's really no other explanation as to why some people develop PTSD and others don't. It has to be a biological thing, just like some other disorders. According to the textbook of abnormal psychology “doctors agree that victims of post-traumatic stress disorder should face their original trauma.” So one form of treatment would be to face the traumatic incident head on. I think that would be the most effective treatment because it could help them understand what happened to them. It might help them finally get over what happened to them and realize that they are stronger than they think. Therapy could also help because if you talk about it you might even understand it or maybe not understand it but just vent it and get it off your chest. You can take medications to relieve the “side effects” of PTSD, but there is no medication that directly helps PTSD. How long PTSD lasts depends on many factors, such as the severity of the trauma and how you treat it. Like any disorder, if you don't treat it, it obviously won't go away. If the person with PTSD goes to therapy and sticks with it, it may help. According to the Journal of Pakistan Psychiatric Society “PE and CBT can significantly improve the prognosis of PTSD in victims. PE stands for prolonged exposure therapy and CBT stands for cognitive behavioral therapy. PTSD is a lifelong disorder, it can be managed but the person will most likely have it for the rest of their life. Clay Jensen may have forgiven Hannah and moved on, but he will always have to deal with Hannah's consequences. The third season of 13 Reasons Why proves it. In season 2 he forgave Hannah and thought he was done with Hannah, but in season 3 the tapes were still affecting people's lives. The tapes have been a blessing and:.2006.05.001