Psychiatry Anxiety Disorders: PTSD

PTSD stats

Came from military shell shock, more common in women, high rate of SI, affects about 8% of americans

Diagnostic criteria for PTSD

exposure and re-experience, avoidance,negative alterations in mood, hyperarousal, create distress or impairment, not due to medications or other illness

Timing criteria for PTSD

Symptoms last for more than 1 month

Timing for acute stress response

Symptoms last from 24 hours after event but less than 1 month

PTSD pathophysiology

overreactice amygdala, small less responsive medial prefrontal cortex, low cortisol, elevated CRF, hyperactive sympathetic branch of ANS

Risk Factors for developing PTSD

gender, prior trauma, pre existing mental illness, lower SES, less education, childhood adversity, severity of trauma, development of acute stress response

Treatment for PTSD

Trauma focused therapy, stress inoculation therapy, SSRI, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing EMDR