Week 8- trauma & stressor related disorder

What is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)?

PTSD is characterized by symptoms that emerge after exposure to a traumatic event.

What is Criterion A for PTSD?

Exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence through direct experience, witnessing, learning it happened to a close associate, or repeated exposure to aversive details.

What are the symptom clusters of PTSD?

Intrusion, Avoidance, Negative Alterations in Cognition and Mood, Arousal and Reactivity.

What does the Intrusion cluster in PTSD include?

Distressing memories, dreams, or dissociative reactions (flashbacks) where the individual feels the event is recurring.

What is the Avoidance symptom cluster in PTSD?

Persistent efforts to avoid internal (memories/thoughts) or external (people/places) reminders of the trauma.

What are Negative Alterations in Cognition and Mood in PTSD?

Includes dissociative amnesia, exaggerated negative beliefs about the self/world, persistent blame, and inability to experience positive emotions.

What characterizes the Arousal and Reactivity cluster in PTSD?

Irritable behavior, hypervigilance, exaggerated startle response, and sleep disturbance.

How long must PTSD symptoms persist for a diagnosis?

Symptoms must persist for more than one month.

What are some pre-trauma risk factors for PTSD?

Female gender, high neuroticism, lower intelligence, and pre-existing mood/anxiety disorders.

What is Acute Stress Disorder (ASD)?

ASD describes severe acute reactions and identifies those at risk for chronic PTSD.

What is the diagnostic requirement for ASD?

Requires nine or more symptoms from categories including intrusion, negative mood, dissociation, avoidance, and arousal.

When do ASD symptoms typically begin?

Symptoms begin 3 days to 1 month after trauma exposure.

What happens if ASD symptoms persist beyond one month?

The diagnosis may shift to PTSD.

What are the four trauma survivor trajectories?

Resilient, recovery, delayed reaction, or chronic distress.

What is Adjustment Disorder (AD)?

AD is a diagnosis of exclusion characterized by emotional or behavioral symptoms in response to an identifiable stressor.

What is the DSM-5 criterion for Adjustment Disorder?

Development of symptoms within 3 months of the stressor's onset.

What are the subtypes of Adjustment Disorder?

Specified as with depressed mood, anxiety, mixed anxiety/depression, or disturbance of conduct.

What is the ICD-11's approach to Adjustment Disorder?

Defines AD as a full threshold disorder with specific symptoms like preoccupation and failure to adapt.

What is the Fear Conditioning model of trauma?

Proposes that trauma causes associative conditioning between fear and neutral stimuli, leading to failed extinction learning.

What does the Cognitive Model by Ehlers & Clark suggest?

Traumatic stress is maintained by maladaptive appraisals and fragmented trauma memories.

What is Moral Injury?

Profound psychological distress resulting from actions that violate one's moral expectations, common in soldiers.

What is the treatment of choice for ASD and PTSD?

Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT).

What is the efficacy of SSRIs in treating Adjustment Disorder?

Evidence for their efficacy is considered low.

What role do beta-blockers like Propranolol have in PTSD treatment?

They have shown limited success in preventing PTSD.

What is the promise of glucocorticoids in trauma treatment?

Early administration of hydrocortisone after trauma shows promise in altering the trajectory toward PTSD.

What are some barriers to care for trauma-related disorders?

Stigma, shame, low mental health literacy, and fear of re-experiencing trauma through treatment.