Trauma Flashcards
What are some of the possible threatening events that could cause PTSD?
Natural disasters, accidents, sexual assaults, terrorist attacks, war, work related trauma
What % of people experience a traumatic event in their lifetime?
70%
What % of people go on to develop PTSD after experiencing a trauma?
5-10%
According to the readings, what are the most common psychological interventions fro PTSD?
Trauma focused CBT / eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing
According to the DSM5, what is criteria A, for PTSD?
Exposure to a traumatic event (actual or threatened death, serious injury or sexual violation)
According to the DSM5, what is criteria B, for PTSD?
Intrusion symptoms (re-living and re-experiencing)
According to the DSM5, what is criteria C, for PTSD?
Avoidance
According to the DSM5, what is criteria D, for PTSD?
Negative alterations in cognition and mood
According to the DSM5, what is criteria E, for PTSD?
Alterations in arousal and reactivity
According to the DSM5, what is criteria F, for PTSD?
Duration of more than 1 month
According to the DSM5, what is criteria G, for PTSD?
Functional significance
According to the DSM5, what is criteria H, for PTSD?
Attribution (not due to substances)
What are flashbacks?
Vivid experiences which relive aspects of the trauma / incorporates the senses
What is complex PTSD?
When exposure to a trauma has been prolonged
What is the lifetime prevalence of PTSD?
6-9%
What can lead to an increased risk of developing PTSD?
Female / low SES / pre-existing MH / ethnic minority / low social support / severity of exposure / interpersonal trauma’s
What was the solution to the Cognitive Model of PTSD?
People remember a trauma in the here and now / in a way that poses a current threat
What is the role of the amygdala in PTSD?
The amygdala is the system which triggers adrenaline and gets our body ready for fight or flight / can’t discriminate between real and perceived threat / amygdala functions when just thinking about the trauma
What is the role of the hippocampus in PTSD?
Fails to time stamp and file away memories due to the overactivity of the amygdala / traumatic memories are relived as they aren’t time tagged
What are the key features of trauma memories?
Come to mind uninvited / vivid / accompanied by senses
What analogy is used for working with trauma memories?
Wardrobe analogy
How does the wardrobe analogy explain working with trauma memories?
Need to to take the duvet out / might sting / easier with help / fold it up properly / store it away
What things contribute to the feeling of a current threat, in Ehlers and Clarks (2000) model?
Negative appraisal of the trauma / disturbances of autobiographical memories / prevented elaboration of contextualisation of memories
What is the key aim in preventing memories form posing as a current threat, in the cognitive model?
To process the trauma so that it is seen as time limited
What are the NICE guidelines for treating PTSD?
No help should be given until after 4 weeks - not interfering with the natural process
What are the preferences for treatment of PTSD?
Cognitive processing therapy / cognitive therapy / narrative exposure therapy / prolonged exposure therapy / EDMR
What is the CBT formulation diagram for PTSD?
Memory - feeling of threat - unhelpful short term thoughts - unhelpful behaviours - unhelpful long term thoughts - failure to update
CBT therapy structure for PTSD - session 1:
Set goals / psychoeductaion / formulation / rationale for re-living
CBT therapy structure for PTSD - session 2:
Re-living / identify hotspots / cognitive restructuring
CBT therapy structure for PTSD - sessions 3-4:
Re-living / updating
CBT therapy structure for PTSD - sessions 5-12:
Re-living / sit visit / stimulus discrimination / addressing emotions
CBT therapy structure for PTSD - session 12:
Therapy blue print and relapse prevention
What is stimulus discrimination?
Comparing what we thought then with what we know now
How are trauma memories updated via imaginal?
Relive the event in full detail with eyes closed / speak in the present tense / identify hotspots / discover what actually happened in a safe space
How are trauma memories updated via in vivo?
Revisiting the trauma site / behavioural experiments with now safe stimuli
How can hotspots be identified?
Find out what was the worst moment / what it meant in the moment / what you now know
What are maintaining factors in PTSD?
Rumination / avoidance / safety behaviours / numbing / misinterpretations / thought suppression
How does EMDR work?
Eye movements are desensitising / recall the traumatic event whilst following a therapists finger with your eyes / bilateral stimulation
What are the stages of EMDR treatment?
History and planning / preparation / assessment / desensitisation via bilateral eye movements / installation / body scan / closure / re-evaluation
