Lecture 6 - OCD and PTSD

Question 1

anxiety level results of study on OCD (1996) where they generated obsession like thoughts in people with some level of TAF

Answer 1

The idea is that anxiety often diminishes over time, regardless of whether or not a compulsion is performed. This concept ties into the “illusion of control” that compulsions create in people with OCD.

Question 2

Nature of the trauma helps understand who is more likely to develop PTSD. Some examples?

Answer 2

The factor that accounts for the most variance in outcome is: DISSOCIATION. If a person dissociates while experiencing trauma more risk for developing PTSD.

Proximity, Duration, Level of life risk, Perceived intention, Psychological processes (intense sense of helplessness, horror, guilt are associated with greater likelihood of experiencing PTSD following a trauma)

Question 3

What is an important buffer against developing PTSD after trauma?

Answer 3

social support after the experience, less likely to develop PTSD

Question 4

What is the most important controversy in defining and classifying PTSD

Answer 4

What consitutes a traumatic event? Do traumas need to be outside of the normal range of human experiences?

Question 5

True or False: DSM-5 requires that a traumatic event be “outside the range of normal human experience” to qualify for PTSD

Answer 5

False. Earlier versions of the DSM (such as DSM-III) required that a trauma be “outside the range of usual human experience” (e.g., war, natural disasters, severe accidents). However, this definition was criticized because it excluded common but still highly distressing events like sexual assault, domestic violence, or sudden loss of a loved one, which can absolutely lead to PTSD.

The DSM-5 (2013) removed the “outside normal human experience” criterion.

Question 6

PTSD is linked to what types of changes in the hippocampus

Answer 6

Hippocampus helps process and store traumatic memories.

PTSD is linked to:
Smaller hippocampal volume
Weaker neuronal integrity
Reduced communication between neurons

Question 7

True or False: smaller hippocampal volume is associated with PTSD symptom severity

Answer 7

True. It is also assicated with combat exposure severity, dissociative symptom severity, depression severity

Question 8

In PTSD, do hippocampal abnormalities result from trauma, or do they pre-exist as a risk factor?

Answer 8

It is still debated. Some evidence suggests stress can damage the hippocampus, while others argue that a smaller hippocampus may exist before trauma, making individuals more vulnerable to PTSD.

Question 9

The Pitman, Gilbertson, Gurvits et al. (2006) study aimed to determine whether hippocampal abnormalities in PTSD were a consequence of trauma or a pre-existing risk factor by using a twin study design

Answer 9

Both ExP+ (PTSD veterans) and their non-exposed co-twins (UxP+) had smaller hippocampal volumes compared to the other groups.

Combat-exposed veterans without PTSD (ExP-) and their co-twins (UxP-) had larger hippocampal volumes.

This suggests that smaller hippocampal volume was not caused by trauma but was instead a pre-existing vulnerability factor that increased the risk of developing PTSD.

SO Small hippocampal volume is likely a risk factor for PTSD rather than a result of trauma.

Question 10

So people with PTSD have smaller hippocampal volume. How does it translate into reaction to stressful events?

Answer 10

A smaller hippocampus affects fear and stress regulation: may increase risk of stronger emotional reactions, prolonged fear responses, and heightened stress hormones after trauma.