Trauma and Stressor-Related Disorders

Question 1

What are the key features of PTSD?

Answer 1

• Exposure to threat in several ways
• Intrusions
• Avoidance
• Negative alterations in cognition and mood
• Arousal and reactivity symptoms
• Has to have had the disturbances for at least 1 month
  1-2 symptoms at least in each category (2 on the last 2 feutures)

Question 2

In what ways can exposure to threat lead to PTSD?

Answer 2

• Directly experiencing the event
• Witnessing it happening to others
• Learning that something traumatic happen to someone close to you
• Experiencing repeated or extreme exposure to aversive details of traumatic events

Question 3

What are symptoms of intrusions?

Answer 3

• Recurrent, involuntary and intrusive memories
• Recurrent distressing dreams
• Dissociative reactions, act or feelings as if the events are happening
• Psychological responses to internal or external cues
• Physiological responses to internal or external cues

Question 4

What are signs of avoidance?

Answer 4

• Avoidance or trying to avoid distressing memories, thoughts or feelings
• Avoidance or trying to avoid external reminders that cause distress

Question 5

What are the symptoms of negative alterations in cognition and mood?

Answer 5

• Inability to remember an important aspect of the event
• Persistent and exaggerated negative beliefs of expectations about oneself, others or the world
• Distorted cognitions about the cause or consequences of the event
• Persistent negative emotional state
• Detachment or estrangement from others
• Anhedonia

Question 6

What are the symptoms of altered arousal and reactivity

Answer 6

• Irritable and angry outbursts, little provocation
• Recklessness or self-destructive behaviour
• Hypervigilance
• Exaggerated startle response
• Concentrations problems
• Sleep disturbances

Question 7

What are the key features to Acute Stress Disorder?

Answer 7

• Same key features as in PTSD
• 9 symptoms in total
• State of chock, at least 3 days

Question 8

What symptoms is not part of Acute Stress Disorder?

Answer 8

• Symptoms that takes a long time to develop
• Anhedonia
• Sleep disturbances
• Detachment or estrangement

Question 9

What are the key features to Reactive Attachment Disorder?

Answer 9

• The child is showing emotionally withdrawn behavior towward their parents, by rarely seeking comfort nor responds to comfort when distressed
• The child struggles with social and emotional responses to others, limited positive affect and maybe moodyness during interactions with their parents
• Often due to insufficent care, with evidence of it. Moving from one how to another, parents not responding to their needs
• Signs of this before the age of 5

Question 10

Tobias

What are the key features of Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder?

Answer 10

• Tobias is a child that often approaches other adults, seemingly without a care in the world, talks extremely friendly to stranges and can go with a stranger without checking back on his parents
• Pattern of behaviours where a child actively approaches and interacts with unfamiliar adults
• Pattern of exremes of insufficent care

Question 11

What are the key features in Adjustment Disorder?

Answer 11

• The development of emotional or behavioural symptoms in response to stressor occuring within 3 months
• The behaviours or symptoms or clinically significant
  1. Marked distress that is out of proportion, taking into account cultural factors
  2. Impairment in areas of functioning