PTSD Flashcards
What is PTSD?
PTSD is an extreme response to a severe stressor, including increased anxiety, avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma, and symptoms of increased arousal. Symptoms persist for longer than one month. lifetime prevelence of 7%
What traumatic events can lead to PTSD?
A traumatic event must have occurred to develop PTSD. Common forms of severe trauma include military combat for men and sexual/physical assault for women. Other experiences include car accidents and encountering disaster aftermath.
What are the four major categories of PTSD symptoms according to DSM 5?
- Intrusively re-experiencing the traumatic event. 2. Avoidance of stimuli associated with the traumatic event. 3. Signs of mood or cognitive change after the trauma. 4. Increased arousal.
What does re-experiencing entail in PTSD?
Patients frequently remember the traumatic event, experience nightmares, and have intense emotional upset caused by stimuli that symbolize the event.
Re-experiencing is considered the central feature of PTSD.
What are signs of mood or cognitive change after trauma in PTSD?
Pervasive negative emotions, inability to experience positive emotions, lack of interest in activities, inability to remember important parts of the event, negative cognition, and self-blame.
What is Acute Stress Disorder (ASD)?
ASD has similar symptoms to PTSD but the duration is shorter and isn’t as accepted as PTSD.
What criteria must be met for a PTSD diagnosis?
- Exposure to trauma. 2. Experience symptoms for at least one month. 3. Distress or impairment in functioning. 4. Symptoms are not due to substance use or a physical health condition.
What is C-PTSD?
Complex PTSD is characterized by prolonged or chronic trauma leading to more complex presentations and additional symptoms, including affective dysregulation and difficulties forming relationships.
What is the prevalence of PTSD?
Lifetime prevalence is 7% (10% in females and 5% in males).
What are some long-term outcomes for PTSD patients?
PTSD can persist for many years, and recovery can be slow even with effective treatment.
What are some consequences of PTSD?
Loss of social and occupational functioning, anxiety disorders, depression, substance abuse, suicidal thoughts, and psychophysiological complaints.
What are the biological factors associated with PTSD?
Heightened startled response, increased cortisol in response to stress, and changes in amygdala and hippocampus activity.
What is the role of the hippocampus in PTSD?
The hippocampus is involved in locating autobiographical memory in space, time, and context, and patients may provide disorganized narratives of their trauma.
What is the Ehlers and Clarke cognitive model of PTSD?
Dysfunctional beliefs lead to an inability to process the event, maintaining maladaptive behaviors and perceptions of threat.
What types of pharmacological interventions are used for PTSD?
Antidepressants (like SSRIs) and anxiolytics (benzodiazepines) may relieve co-morbid conditions but are not first-line treatments.
