record – LABS

Thesis Info

Thesis Title: Reboot: Private Spaces for Veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress DisorderPost

URL where full thesis can be found: www.kaymittal.com/reboot-mid-thesis-book

Keywords: trauma, survivor, PTSD, experimental, stimulus, panic, private, space

Abstract: 200-500 words: The 20th century has seen radical changes through wars, struggles, political and social reforms, technological advancement, and globalization. Somewhere along the way, society has ignored the devastation it has caused to the human mind, in an effort to grow, by pushing forward ruthlessly. One manifestation of this damage is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. As a term, PTSD first appeared in 1980 in the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-lll) published by the American Psychiatric Association (Crocq & Crocq). It’s name evolved from the Post Vietnam Syndrome, a diagnosis from the Vietnam War legacy. Similar terms for the same phenomenon from earlier conflicts were “Shell Shock” or “Soldier’s Heart”. Its initial connections were made to traumatic experiences from combat, and today it is being understood as a condition that haunts survivors of all kinds of trauma. This paper is a blend of statistical data, a personal perspective and an experimental hypothesis - a useful combination to approach complex subjects such as trauma. Evidence in the form of data, is the basis for evaluating quantifiable parts of the subject. A point of view helps a design researcher locate his/her position in reference to the problem, along with how he/she sees it. And finally, an experimental hypothesis opens the doors to more data, possibilities and points of view.