Mind and body are connected. One cannot exist without the other.

Perceptive experiences alter gene expressions where stress is involved. How much stress is then needed before such experience is seen as a relevant factor in the evolutionary selection process?

Adding to Roy’s question: does it take a full-bore traumatic stress event to trigger these changes, or can long-term high-stress levels, such as those found in people with panic/anxiety disorder, also trigger these changes? Is it possible to have PTSD without a singular traumatic event?

The fact is that stress has an effect, whether long range or short term. Whether the stress toughens the individual or has an destructive effect depends on the resiliency of the individual and the intensity and duration of the trauma. The effect is real and should not be ignored.

Talking about stress what do you think of this. Good or Bad? Three-year-old girl tightrope walks above tigers http://bit.ly/b9twAJ Maybe it’s all in the conditioning. Lets hope the safety line doesn’t break.

Apparently in China watching this is entertainment.

Adding to Roy and Joe’s comments what about long-term high-stress levels caused by one’s environment? Could that cause a similar biological reaction and, ultimately, PTSD?

In reference to Roy’s question as to how much stress is needed, one must understand that everyone reacts to stress differently. It may depend on if we are suffering from another psychological disorder, or if we have always been able to handle stress. If I were in a car accident, I may be traumatized by it. However, someone else in the car may not be affected by it. Our brains are all programmed differently. There are studies that have shown via brain scan that we have a biomarker that predicts whether or not we develop PTSD http://bit.ly/a7pN0q

Long term high stress–is that referring to a job or something like that? I believe something that is a long term stress could be repeated abuse, be it psychological or physical.

What many people do not know is that PTSD can also lead to conversion disorder (DSM-IV 300.11) which is also known as non-epilepsy. The symptoms of stress can manifest itself in neuropsychiatric symptoms. http://bit.ly/dAFlYp A person’s reaction to stress can cause non-epileptic seizures (which is diagnosed in a video and eeg) Symptoms are physical i.e. a patient may have muscle weakness and be unable to walk. This is not feigned. It shows as a neurological disorder, as the symptoms are shown this way,but the root of it is psychiatric in nature. Its root is in the amygdala and causes these motor symptoms.

Well, the type of long-term stress I was thinking of included stress at home and at work, either as the direct result of what one could call emotional abuse, or through habits and “coping mechanisms” learned through that. For example, if one has a deep-seated notion that he is expected to solve any problem, or cope with any situation, that can cause continued stress when the coping mechanisms fail or when the person dealing with the problems is ill-equipped or ill-trained to deal with a problem or situation.

Tell it to Palestinian children in occupied Palestine. If over 70% have PTSD, 95% severe anxiety, and 40% moderate or severe depression, is the cause really genetic? Returning their stolen lands and restoring destroyed homes and olive groves should be more effective therapy than targeting genes with drugs.

Joe: I’m not a therapist or psychiatrist, but it sounds like this is a form of depression. The stress builds up over time due to the abuse. This results in the person developing their own coping mechanism, which may or may not be healthy. Healthy coping is to relieve the stress by expending energy e.g. going to the gym, writing, talking about it. Unhealthy coping mechanism is anger towards inward, i.e. depression. Some ways are by overeating, undereating, cutting. Something could happen that culminates in a “break”, in which the person no longer is able to cope with everything. It takes a lot of energy to survive in circumstances even going thru everyday events. This is more like what I think you were talking about. A person experiences and is dealing with ongoing stresses due to environmental factors (the abuse, work, etc). It becomes no longer tolerable, even if they have used their coping mechanisms. This can result in an event which is when their mind is overloaded and unable to cope any longer.

Peter: The article above refers to post-event and the development of PTSD, which results an altered change in their immune system. This is important to know that it is not organic in nature. Other studies have shown that some people with PTSD do have pre-existing conditions that MAY lead to a person having a higher chance of developing PTSD after a traumatic event. I believe your comment for Israeli occupation leading to PTSD in Palestinian children is more about the occupation than the science behind the mind.