Trauma and Stress Related Disorder: PTSD/ Acute Stress Disorder Flashcards
PTSD
disturbing pattern of behavior demonstrated by someone who has experienced, witnessed, or been confronted with a traumatic event such as a natural disaster, combat, or assault
Acute Stress Disorder
characterized by re-experiencing, avoidance, and hyper-arousal that occur from 3 days to 4 weeks following a trauma
- occurs after a traumatic event
- can be a precursor to PTSD
Hyper-arousal
symptoms that arise from high levels of anxiety including:
- insomnia
- irritability
- anger outbursts
- watchfulness
- suspiciousness
- dis-trustfulness
Flashbacks
re-experiencing the elements of the trauma reliving the incident
Symptoms of PTSD
- flashbacks or “reliving” the traumatic event
- nightmares
- avoidance of reminders of the trauma
- severe anxiety attacks
- anhedonia (lack of pleasure in life)
- irritability
- hyper-vigilance
- sense of foreshortened future
- depressed mood
- sleep disturbances
- startled reactions
- guilt
- dissociation
- problems with concentrating
- outbursts of anger
Dissociation
subconscious defense mechanism that helps a person protect his or her emotional self from recognizing the full effects of a horrific event
Nursing Interventions
- discuss self-harm thoughts
- develop a plan for going to a safe place when having destructive thoughts or impulses
- help cope with stress and emotions
- validate feelings of fear, increase contact with reality
- use supportive touch if responds well
- relaxation techniques
- list of activities when feelings are intense
- refer to as “survivor”
- establish social support system
- list of activities and people to contact when needs help
Outcomes “The patient will….”
- acknowledge the traumatic event and the impact on their life
- experiencing fewer flashbacks
- demonstrate adaptive coping
- can concentrate and has made realistic goals for the future
- verbalizes no ideas or intent of self-harm
- has worked through feelings of guilt
- attends support groups
Client and Family Education
- ask for support from others
- avoid social isolation
- join a support group
- share emotions and experiences with others
- follow a daily routine
- set small, specific, achievable goals
- accept feelings as they occur
- get adequate sleep
- eat a balanced, healthy diet
- avoid alcohol and other drugs
- practice stress reduction techniques
Elder Considerations
- elder people who fall and fracture a hip can experience PTSD
- veterans of WWII
- veterans of the Vietnam war were among the first to be diagnosed
- have an impaired quality of life –> negative impact on physical functioning and general health
- chronic PTSD may be associated with premature aging and dementia
Exposure Therapy
treatment approach designed to combat the avoidance behavior that occurs in PTSD
-help the client face troubling thoughts and feelings and regain a measure of control over their thoughts and feelings
Risk Factors of PTSD
stressful or traumatic events in people who have undergone prior trauma increase their susceptibility in developing PTSD if initial crisis treatments are not successful
-screen these patients closely following traumatic stressors
