Source: The Post and Courier, June 6, 2008, “Jury to resume deliberations in trial of man accused of rape” p. 3B
Summary: Brandon Vernard Johnson, 24, is on trial for the rape of an 82-year-old woman. Neighbors saw him partially naked on top of her inside her home and called the police. The woman could not testify because she suffers from dementia. Prior to the attack, the woman took walks in her neighborhood and visited local shops. The rape reportedly caused the onset of posttraumatic stress syndrome. The defense attorney alleges that the dementia onset was before the rape, which led to the attack.
Application: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) involves negative responses after a traumatic event, generally with intrusive, unwanted nightmares, vivid memories or even flashbacks (the person feels as if they are actually experiencing the trauma again) of the event. Rape is a common cause of PTSD, and high tech brain imaging has actually detected changes in brain function and structure cause by PTSD. Dementia is a broad category of neuropsychological disorders that are a major disturbance in not only memory, but also perceptual ability, language, or learned motor skills. According to our text book, the causes of dementia are age, disease, drugs or other chemicals, or other unknown causes. PTSD is an incredibly stressful, one of the worst known stressors, so for that to be a factor contributing to the elderly woman’s dementia is very believable. As a juror, I would convict Mr. Johnson without a shadow of a doubt.
Summary: Brandon Vernard Johnson, 24, is on trial for the rape of an 82-year-old woman. Neighbors saw him partially naked on top of her inside her home and called the police. The woman could not testify because she suffers from dementia. Prior to the attack, the woman took walks in her neighborhood and visited local shops. The rape reportedly caused the onset of posttraumatic stress syndrome. The defense attorney alleges that the dementia onset was before the rape, which led to the attack.
Application: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) involves negative responses after a traumatic event, generally with intrusive, unwanted nightmares, vivid memories or even flashbacks (the person feels as if they are actually experiencing the trauma again) of the event. Rape is a common cause of PTSD, and high tech brain imaging has actually detected changes in brain function and structure cause by PTSD. Dementia is a broad category of neuropsychological disorders that are a major disturbance in not only memory, but also perceptual ability, language, or learned motor skills. According to our text book, the causes of dementia are age, disease, drugs or other chemicals, or other unknown causes. PTSD is an incredibly stressful, one of the worst known stressors, so for that to be a factor contributing to the elderly woman’s dementia is very believable. As a juror, I would convict Mr. Johnson without a shadow of a doubt.
1 comment:
This is a really good example of PTSD and Dementia. It is horrible that the lady suffers from both of these at the same time. This shows the horrible things that can happen when someone suffers from these diseases. It is a good thing that the lady had good neighbors though.
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