Task 2 - PTSD Flashcards
PTSD Causes
- Extraordinary events (e.g. traffic accidents, terror attacks)
- > traumatic events: 7% will be exposed and develop PTSD
- women at greater risk
- symptoms can range from mild to moderate
- > normal functioning possible
- can also be: immobilizing, cause deterioration in work family and social life
Diagnosis
Requires presence of:
- repeated reexperiencing of a traumatic event
- persistent avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma + emotional numbing
- hypervigilance & chronic arousal
PTSD DSM
A. Exposure to traumatic event
B. persistent reexperiencing of traumatic event
C. avoidance of stimuli associated with trauma, numbing of general responsiveness
D. Increased Arousal
E. duration of B,C, and D symptoms of more than 1 month
F. disturbances cause clinically significant distress or impairment in: social, job, or other important areas
DSM-5 additions
Traumatice event has to be personally experienced or witnessed happening to others, close relative or friend experienced it, or be requently exposed to aversive details of event
->
Common traumas leading to PTSD
Natural Disasters
Human-made disasters
Physical abuse: e.g. domestic violence
Sexual abuse: e.g. rape -> 95% of rape survivors experience PTSD symptoms in first 2 weeks, 50% qualifiy 3 months after
Environmental & Social Factors in PTSD vulnerability
- severity and duration of proximity to trauma
- availability of social support
Psychological Factors in PTSSD vulnerability
- higher PTSD risk for those already experiencing anxiety or depression
- coping style: self-destructive, avoidant or dissociation/detachment strategies more at risk
Gender & Cross-Cultural Differences in PTSD
- Women more likely to develop PTSD
- tendency to dissociate more likely in Latinos
- sex roles influence sex differences in PTSD symptoms (Mexican vs. US)
Biological Factors in PTSD Vulnerability
- amygdala more active
- smaller hippocampal volume
- lower resting cortisol levels
- Elevated heart rate & increased secreation of neurotransmitters (norepinephrine & epinephrine)
- overexposure of brain to neurochemicals (overconsolidation of memories)
- exposure to trauma might alter children’s biological stress resposne
Genetics & PTSD vulnerability
Heritability suggested: e.g. adult children of Holocaust survivors with PTSD more than 3x more likely to also develop it
-> abnormally low levels of cortisol
PTSD Treatment
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Stress Management
Biological Therapies
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- proven effective in children and adults
- major element: systematic desensitization
- monitoring for maladaptive thinking patterns and challenign them (e.g. survivor’s guilt)
- imagining and describing feared events in safety of therapy environment repeatedly
- -> habituation to anxiety, distinction between memory and present reality
- > significantly decreases symptoms and helps prevent relapse
Stress management
For patient not able to tolerate exposure to traumatic memories
-therapist teaches skills for overcoming problems in lives increasing stress , which may result from PTSD (e.g. marital problems)
Biological Therapies
SSRis (selective serotonin reuptake inhibiotrs)
-> antidepressants
Benzodiazepines
-> sedative
-> useful in treating PTSD symptoms
-> side effects: sleep problems, nightmares, irritability
Article: Engelhard et al. - ER and IR reasoning
ER: emotion-based reasoning: interpreting anxiety responses themselves as evidence that threat is impending
IR: intrusion-based reasoning: danger inferred from presence of intrusions (something is acutally happening)
-> reasoning may promote persistence, amplify distress, motivate PTSD patients to search for danger-confirming information)
-> chronic PTSD relates to intrusion-based reasoning (IR)
