Clinical perspective

Question 1

PTSD

Answer 1

Disorder characterised by memories (memories are very intrusive e.g. after car accident) distressing memories.
Can take u back in the memory. E.g. feel/ smell the petrol etc.

Question 2

Responding to PTSD

Answer 2

Psychological debriefing
Counsellor will find you in 48 hrs and will make u tell them what’s happening –> your thoughts, what happened.
Intended to prevent PTSD

Question 3

To test psychological debriefing

Answer 3

Use the scientific method: Standardized assessment needs to be done.

Question 4

‘Blind’ assessment

Answer 4

not biased by knowing what treatment was given

Question 5

Double blind studies

Answer 5

both patients and clinicians do not know what they are giving to have no biases at all.

Question 6

Does debriefing work?

Answer 6

controlled trials have proven that debriefing does not prevent psychological disorder.

Question 7

Assessment Bias

Answer 7

you could be bias consciously or unconsciously. Thus, randomisation is essential in the scientific method.

Question 8

Classical conditioning

Answer 8

Learning that certain environmental stimuli predicts harmful events

Question 9

Classical conditioning experiments with rats

Answer 9

Turn on a light which shocks the rat.

Next time- don’t shock it just turn the light on–> rat will still get scared. (heart rate, blood pressure, etc.)

Question 10

Fear conditioning models (with rats)

Answer 10

Trauma= electric shock
Fear = rat's fright	
Trauma reminders= light
Distress= rats fear to the light
(similar to PTSD from rape)

Question 11

Extinction

Answer 11

new learning when stimuli are presented repeatedly without negative outcomes, teaches that stimuli can be safe.

Question 12

Treatment for PTSD

Answer 12

Put the rat back into the chamber and turn on the light without shocking it. This leads to new learning that the chamber is safe
Called exposure therapy - expose the human to their trauma to show that the world is safe

Question 13

Amygdala and MPFC

Answer 13

Amygdala associations of the trauma with the threat

If u have trauma then MPFC part of brain is not working properly.

Question 14

Glutamate

Answer 14

The major excitatory neurotransmitter (agitates the system) Increases emotional learning.
Thus, through animal studies, they found that glutamate can increase extinction learning.

Question 15

DCS drug

Answer 15

DCS drug (used to treat tuberculosis) increases glutton in the human brain.

Give DCS drug prior to exposure therapy. Will make patient feel safe and increase success rate.
This advance is a direct result of psych models tested by animal research.