DSM-5 Criteria for PTSD

Flashcards about PTSD diagnostic criteria based on the DSM-5, including symptom clusters, avoidance behaviors, and neurobiological perspectives.

What is unique about the PTSD diagnosis in the DSM-5?

It is the only diagnosis where the specific cause (stressor) is included in the diagnostic criteria.

Describe the first step in PTSD diagnostic criteria.

Exposure to a traumatic event, either directly, by witnessing it, indirectly through learning about it happening to a close person, or through repeated extreme exposure to aversive details, usually in a professional setting.

What are the four symptom clusters associated with PTSD?

Intrusion, avoidance, negative alterations in cognitions and mood, and alterations in arousal and reactivity.

How long must symptoms persist before a diagnosis of PTSD can be made?

More than one month after the traumatic event.

What is Acute Stress Disorder, and how does it relate to PTSD?

Acute Stress Disorder involves many of the same symptoms as PTSD, but it occurs within the first month after a trauma. If symptoms persist longer than a month, the diagnosis may be changed to PTSD.

Give examples of intrusion symptoms in PTSD.

Recurrent, involuntary, and intrusive memories; nightmares; dissociative reactions; intense distress after exposure to traumatic reminders; physiological reactivity to traumatic reminders.

If avoidance is part of a PTSD problem, what is often part of the solution?

Exposure.

What are some examples of avoidance behaviors related to trauma?

Avoiding trauma-related thoughts, feelings, conversations, people, places, or activities.

Describe how quickly and downplaying a traumatic event can be a sign of avoidance.

By recounting events quickly and without emotion, one can avoid experiencing or expressing the emotions tied to the trauma.

Explain why an inability to recall key features of a traumatic event might occur.

During a traumatic event, attention is often focused on survival and self-protection, rather than encoding specific details.

Provide examples of negative alterations in cognition and mood related to PTSD.

Persistent negative beliefs about oneself, others, or the world; distorted blame of self or others; persistent negative emotional state; feelings of alienation; diminished interest in significant activities; inability to experience positive emotions.

Give examples of alterations in arousal and reactivity related to PTSD.

Irritable or aggressive behavior; reckless or self-destructive behavior; hypervigilance; exaggerated startle response; problems with concentration; sleep disturbance.

What are the two specifiers for PTSD?

With dissociative symptoms and with delayed expression.

What is complex PTSD, and what are its common causes?

Complex PTSD results from prolonged, inescapable traumatic events involving coercive control, such as torture, concentration camps, slavery, or genocide campaigns.

What are some common symptoms associated with complex PTSD?

Feelings of shame and guilt, difficulty trusting others, emotion dysregulation, and inability to cope.

How do rates of PTSD diagnosis differ between males and females, and why?

Females have a higher rate of PTSD, potentially due to experiencing more traumatic events that increase vulnerability to PTSD, such as domestic violence and sexual assault. Biological differences in fear conditioning may also play a role.

What are 'BENT' characteristics of traumatic events and how they increase vulnerability to PTSD?

Bad, Events, Nature, and Traumatic, events, those characteristics contribute to the severity and likelihood of developing PTSD.

How does social support impact the risk of developing PTSD after a traumatic event?

The presence of social support is a potent protective factor, while the absence of it increases the risk of developing PTSD.

Define social support in the context of PTSD prevention.

Having someone who provides what you need in the moment, whether it's empathy, practical help, or just a supportive presence. The person experiencing the trauma decides if social support exists for them.

How does the amygdala relate to PTSD?

The amygdala shows increased activation, promoting hypervigilance and impairing discrimination of threat.

Describe the role of the prefrontal cortex in PTSD.

An underactive prefrontal cortex can impair the ability to determine that a situation is safe, leading to prolonged hypervigilance.

What are 'cognitive traps' associated with PTSD?

Negative thought patterns such as 'If only…' statements, hindsight bias, and beliefs related to guilt, shame, and lack of trust.

Why is PTSD considered a disorder of fear conditioning?

Individuals with PTSD have learned that situations and surrounding cues can signal threat, leading to reflexive responses and difficulty extinguishing the emotional response to those memories.

What is fear extinction in the context of PTSD?

Fear extinction aims to diminish the emotional response to traumatic memories without erasing the memory itself.