What is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder? According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV, a person can be diagnosed with PTSD when he/she has:
A. Exposure to a traumatic event
B. Persistent reexperience (e.g. flashbacks, nightmares)
C. Persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma (e.g. inability to talk about things even related to the experience, avoidance of things and discussions that trigger flashbacks and reexperiencing symptoms fear of losing control)
D. Persistent symptoms of increased arousal (e.g. difficulty falling or staying asleep, anger and hypervigilance)
E. Duration of symptoms more than 1 month
F. Significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning (e.g. problems with work and relationships.)

The best treatment for PTSD is cognitive therapy in which the victim overcomes difficulties by identifying and changing dysfunctional thinking, behavior, and emotional responses. Tetris would now be a valuable tool in hindering the effects of a traumatic event when used by a victim immediately.

According to the research, there is a six hour gap in which a therapist can work on the victim before the memory of the event would be permanently consolidated. The research says that playing Tetris can disrupt the neurological pathways that are also involved in the formation of PTSD. I’ll be buying a brick game/gameboy now and put it on my first aid kit.

via arstechnica

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