PTSD

Question 1

What’s the key defining characteristic of PTSD

Answer 1

The occurrence of a preceding traumatic event

Question 2

What’s the DSM-5 criteria for PTSD

Answer 2

a. The person exposed to actual/threatened death, serious injury or sexual violence in one of the following ways:
1. Direct exposure
2. Witnessing the trauma
3. Learning that a close other was exposed to trauma
4. Indirect exposure in the course of professional duties, ie. first responders

b. Intrustions- need 1
(Unwanted memories, nightmares, flashbacks, distress/physical reactivity when exposed to reminders)

c. Avoidance- need 1
(avoiding places, people, thoughts or feelings that remind one of the event)

d. Negative mood and cognitive problems- need 2
(recall failures/blackout, detachment, anhedonia, lack of interest, distrust of others, blame oneself, negative effect

e. Increased arousal and reacrivity- need 2
constant state of being on guard, startle response, irritability, poor concentration, difficulty sleeping, self-destructive behaviour

Question 3

What are some PTSD triggers for women and men?

Answer 3

Men- military trauma

Women- rape

Question 4

Comment on PTSD

Answer 4

Has a high comorbidity , 93% have at least 1 other disorder, 66% have anxiety

Women are 2 times more Riley to develop PTSD

Risk factors overlap with anxiety

2 factory theory is prominent here as well

Question 5

Neurobiology of PTSD

Answer 5

amydyla and medial prefrontal cortex
but also the hippocampus

Smaller hippocampus volume in PTSD sufferers

But this isn’t only cuz of a result of trauma

Question 6

What does the hippocampus do?

Answer 6

Stores memories for events in our lives, ie autobiographical memories

Dysfunction in hippocampus may cause a failure to organise and separate memories and thereby lead to over-generalisation of fear

Question 7

What’s a consequence of PTSD

Answer 7

Dissociation

Question 8

What’s the psychological treatment for PTSD

Answer 8

CBT with exposure
Exposure to reminders of the event
VR
Imaginal expsure- make them think back to the event and let the fear subside
Cognitive restructuring- reducing blame

HIGHLY EFFECTIVE BUT CONSISTENCY IS HARD BECAUSE ITS REALLY HARD

Question 9

what’s the pharmacological treatment for PTSD

Answer 9

Antidepressants - SSRIS

Experimental work to couple exposure therapy with drugs

MDMA- induces euphoria

D-cycloserine- enhances glutamate activity - improves extinction learning and exposure efficacy

Propanarol- beta adrenergic blocker - stops u from having a physical reaction to stress

EARLY INTERVENTION IS CRUCIAL