PTSD Flashcards
1
Q
Traumatic Events
A
- Direct or witnessed death or threatened death
- Direct or witnessed serious injury or threatened serious injury
- Sexual violation
- sudden unexpected death of a loved one by violent means
- repeated exposure to extreme details of trauma
- rescue workers
- homicide detectives
2
Q
How is PTSD unique
A
- Individual has to experience a traumatic event to develop the disorder
3
Q
Prevalence of trauma and PTSD
A
- Many people experience 1 or more traumatic events during their life
- lifetime prevalence: 50-75%
- PTSD prevalence=much lower
- lifetime prevalence: 7-9%
- Women: 8-12%
- Men: 4-6%
4
Q
Most common forms of traumatic experiences:
A
- Physical or sexual assault
- Witnessing someone being injured or killed
- Natural Disaster
- Being in a life threatening accident
5
Q
PTSD: Symptoms
A
- Re-experiencing
- dreams
- thoughts
- memories
- flashbacks
- physiological and emotional reactions
- Avoidance
- thoughts
- memories
- situations
- conversations
- people
- Alterations of thought and mood
- negative beliefs
- distorted blame
- negative mood
- detachment
- loss of interest
- difficulty experiencing emotions
- Arousal and reactivity
- vigilance
- sleep disturbance
- startle response
- irritability
- anger and aggression
- concentration problems
6
Q
PTSD: Risk factors
A
- Pre-trauma characteristics:
- Gender
- History of stressful/traumatic events
- ACEs
- Psychological distress
- Trauma factors
- Proximity/severity/duration of trauma
- Dissociative/panic reactions
- Perceived life threat
- Deliberate actions by a perpetrator
- Post-trauma factors
- loss of resources
- lack of social support
- other stressful events
7
Q
PTSD: mental health comorbidities
A
- Depression
- most common comorbidity with PTSD
- prevalence rates: 30-50%
- can be a risk factor and a consequence of PTSD
- most common comorbidity with PTSD
- Substance Abuse Disorders
- 25% with alcohol abuse disorder have PTSD
- 40% people with PTSD have a comorbid substance use disorder
- 75% with sUD +PTSD have attempted suicide
8
Q
PTSD: Health Risk behaviors
A
- Problematic substance use and substance misuse are common
- response to trauma
- risk factor for additional traumatic experiences
- Sexual risk behavior
- childhood abuse and sexual assault strongly associated
- sexual risk behaviors elevated in combat PTSD populations and individuals with SUDs
- Smoking
- ranges from 34-61%
- current >40%
- Obesity:
- increases risk for obesity by over 30% in women
- >32% with PTSD were obese
9
Q
PTSD: Preventive Health Behaviors
A
- Utilize medical services at a higher rate
- less likely to engage in preventative behaviors:
- 60-70% physically inactive
- lower rates of:
- not smoking following treatment
- cancer screening
- Condom use
- dental care
10
Q
PTSD: Chronic health conditions associated with
A
- Arthritis (strongest association)
- Cardiovascular disease
- GI disease/symptoms & reproductive symptoms in women
- poorer outcomes with chronic health conditions
- elevated rates of chronic pain
- and may be linked to idiopathic/functional pain conditions
- Gingivitis, plaque deposits, bruxism
11
Q
Treatment of PTSD
A
- Cognitive behavioral treatment (best)
- Prolonged exposure therapy
- based on emotional processing model of PTSD
- Cognitive processing therapy
- primary focus on stuck points (identifying and challenging maladaptive trauma related cognitions)
- OVerall individual trauma focused treatments=Best choice
- Pharmacotherapy
- offered to those unwilling to engage in psychotherapy
- Non-trauma focused treatment
- less effective
- Lower intensity treatments may be effective option
- trauma Writing protocol
- facilitate self-help
- telepsychology
