Chapter 7 Flashcards
Trauma and Dissociation
PTSD
Enduring, distressing emotional disorder that follows exposure to a severe helplessness or fear-inducing threat.
Acute Stress Disorder
Severe reaction immediately following a terrifying event, often including amnesia about the event, emotional numbing, and derealization. Many survivors later develop post-traumatic stress disorder (up to 50% go on to develop PTSD).
Predictors of PTSD
- Intensity and severity of trauma
- Low levels of social support (high social support is a protective factor and lowers cortisol secretion)
- Biological including anxiety sensitivity, damage to hippocampus
- Early experiences with uncontrollable event
Treatment for PTSD
- Developing coping mechanisms including relaxation training
- Imaginal exposure
- Cognitive therapy
- EMDR
- SSRIs
Adjustment Disorders
Anxious or depressive reactions to life stress that are generally milder than in acute stress disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder but that are nevertheless impairing in terms of interfering with work or school performance, interpersonal relationships, or other areas of living.
Dissociative Disorders
individuals feel detached from themselves or their surroundings, and reality may disintegrate.
Depersonalization
alteration in perception that causes someone to temporarily lose the sense of their own reality.
Depersonalization-Derealization Disorder
Dissociative disorder in which feelings of depersonalization are so severe they dominate the client’s life and prevent normal functioning.
Dissociative Amnesia
Dissociative disorder featuring the inability to recall personal information, usually of a stressful or traumatic nature.
Dissociative Fugue
Dissociative disorder featuring sudden, unexpected travel away from home, along with an inability to recall the past, sometimes with assumption of a new identity.
Dissociative Identity Disorder
Formerly known as multiple personality disorder, a disorder in which as many as one hundred personalities or fragments of personalities coexist within one body and mind (host identity asks for treatment, trust is important in therapy).
Contributors to False Memory
Suggestibility, activation of associated information, the incorporation of misinformation, and source misattribution
common symptoms of Swiss Air Disaster volunteers
Emotional Reactivity, Intrusive Thoughts, Detachment (all > 50% of volunteers)
Who is at high risk of PTSD
Sexual assault, severe accidents and military service, personal and direct experience of 9-11 WTC attack had higher rates of PTSD
EMDR
a structured form of psychotherapy designed to help individuals process and resolve the emotional distress associated with traumatic memories and experiences (Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing)
SSRIs
a type of antidepressant medication that works by increasing serotonin levels in the brain (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors)
Adjustment Disorders
a strong emotional or behavioral reaction to a stressful event or life change, causing difficulties in daily life, that typically resolves within a few months
Reactive Attachment Disorder
a condition where a child struggles to form healthy emotional bonds with caregivers, often due to early neglect or abuse, leading to difficulties with emotional regulation and social interaction.
