Acute Stress & PTSD Flashcards
Why is the study of Trauma and Stressor-Related Disorders (TSRs) significant?
TSRs have a long history, with extensive research and discussion. They provide an opportunity to study key controversies and their impact on psychopathology.
Why are TSRs placed adjacent to anxiety disorders in the DSM?
TSRs are grouped near anxiety disorders in the DSM because of their conceptual relationship, with overlapping symptoms and associations with dissociative conditions.
What is a working definition of stress?
Stress is the psychological condition experienced when our coping resources are insufficient to respond to an actual or perceived physical or emotional challenge.
In a study on life stressors in college students, they rated external events into either a high or low stress category.
An example of high stress is sexual assault, with low being falling asleep in class.
What are some of the differences between high and low stress events and what main factor would we look at to understand if these events become psychopathology?
The difference is the idea of universality. High-stress and low-stress events are generally considered as such due to their content and effect on a person.
However, low-stress events can become high-stress when they occur consistently and may become psychopathology depending on someones coping mechanisms and abilities to manage stress.
What are the health effects of high stress?
High stress increases susceptibility to illnesses like respiratory infections, may cause immunosuppression, increase the risk of coronary heart disease, and is linked to premature aging (shortened telomeres).
What factors or properties that influence the stress response to high or low stress events in college students? theses are properties that we need to consider when understanding them in relation to developing psychopathology.
Factors like duration, impact, predictability, and controllability of events affect how students perceive and cope with stress.
This leads to different coping strategies for similar events and depending on these strategies will determine whether someone develops psychopathology.
What factors influence whether an event is considered a stressor?
Factors include the event’s severity, chronicity, timing, personal meaning, impact, predictability, and controllability, which determine the stress response even if the event isn’t universally recognized as stressful.
What strategies are used to manage stress and its effects?
Strategies include physical health management, emotion regulation techniques (e.g., CBT, relaxation), and addressing social factors like inequities and isolation. These approaches may work for some individuals, depending on the nature of the stressor.
What is the role of Acute Stress Disorder (ASD) in the DSM, and why is it controversial?
ASD, added in 1994, is considered a potential precursor to PTSD, sparking debate over its role in early intervention and prevention. Controversy arises over its association with later PTSD development.
How were the diagnostic criteria for PTSD modified in the DSM-5?
Despite the DSM-5 revision process being described as “conservative,” significant changes were made to the diagnostic criteria for PTSD, expanding and refining how trauma responses are identified.
What are the main criticisms of Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) in the DSM-5?
Critics argue that PGD pathologizes normal grief, sets too low a diagnostic threshold, imposes an “expiration date” on grief, and fails to consider key contextual factors like relationships, the nature of the death, and cultural differences.
What do Cacciatore and Francis (2002) suggest instead of diagnosing Prolonged Grief Disorder?
Cacciatore and Francis argue that grief should not be medicalized, recommending social support and compassion rather than diagnosis. If a diagnosis is necessary, they suggest adjustment disorder instead of PGD.
Why was Prolonged Grief Disorder included in the trauma-related disorders section of the DSM-5-TR?
PGD is included in the trauma section due to the effectiveness of trauma-informed therapies over traditional treatments like antidepressants, though the clinical utility is still under investigation.
What distinguishes Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) from non-clinical grief?
PGD is differentiated by the severity, intensity, and duration of grief features, with DSM-5-TR setting a 12-month duration compared to the ICD’s 6-month guideline.
How did the understanding of PTSD evolve historically?
PTSD initially emerged as a military concern (“shell shock” and “combat neurosis”) but broadened after the Vietnam War to include civilians exposed to non-combat trauma, shifting the scope of psychopathology.
What is Adjustment Disorder, and how does it differ from ASD or PTSD?
Adjustment Disorder involves severe, but not traumatic, stressors (e.g., divorce) that overwhelm coping resources, leading to significant emotional symptoms. It is less severe than ASD or PTSD and typically resolves once the stressor is removed.
What are the key features of Adjustment Disorder with depressed mood?
This subtype involves feelings of sadness, tearfulness, hopelessness, and a lack of pleasure in activities. Symptoms typically appear within 3 months of a stressor and may abate with time or once the stressor is resolved.
Did the DSM-5 changes reduce the prevalence of PTSD diagnoses?
Yes, a study comparing DSM-IV and DSM-5 criteria found a significant reduction in PTSD prevalence in some estimates. The new criteria successfully raised the diagnostic threshold without lowering it.
What is the key difference between Acute Stress Disorder (ASD) and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?
ASD and PTSD are conceptually the same but differ in duration. ASD is diagnosed when symptoms last for a shorter period, while PTSD is diagnosed for prolonged symptoms. Both arise from exposure to traumatic events.
How does the DSM-5 define traumatic stress?
Traumatic stress involves exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence. It includes direct experience, witnessing trauma, learning about trauma to loved ones, or repeated exposure to trauma details.
What significant changes were made to the definition of traumatic stress in DSM-5?
The DSM-5 expanded Criterion A to itemize ways of trauma exposure, including sexual violence, to clarify the definition and raise the diagnostic threshold, helping prevent the overdiagnosis of PTSD.
