This is a comprehensive and detailed note chapter 6; disorders of trauma and stress and chapter 9; disorders featuring somatic symptoms for Psy 254.
*Essential Study Material!!
CHAPTER 6
Disorders of Trauma and Stress
- Components of stress
o Stressor
Event that creates demands
Causes fear when viewed as threatening
o Stress response
Person’s reactions to demands (how we judge both the event and our capacity
to react to react to the event effectively)
o Extraordinary stress and trauma
Can play a central role in certain psychological disorders
- Stress and psychological disorders
o Acute stress disorder
o Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
o DSM-5 lists these as “Trauma and Stressor-Related Disorders”
- Stress and physical (psychophysiological) disorders
o DSM-5 lists these under “psychological factors affecting medical condition”
Stress and Arousal: The Fight-or-Flight Response
- Features of arousal and fear are set in the hypothalamus
o Two important systems are activated
Autonomic nervous system (ANS)
An extensive network of nerve fibers that connect the central nervous
system (the brain and spinal cord) to all other organs of the body
Endocrine system
A network of glands throughout the body that release hormones
- Two pathways by which ANS and the endocrine system produce arousal and fear reactions
o Sympathetic nervous system pathway
o Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal pathway
Acute and Post Traumatic Stress Disorders
- Acute stress disorder
o Fear and related symptoms begin within four weeks of event and last for less than one
month
- Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
o Fear and related symptoms may begin either shortly after event, or months or years
afterward
25% of people with PTSD do not develop a full clinical syndrome until 6 months
or more after their trauma
At least half of all cases of acute stress disorder develop into post traumatic
stress disorder
- Aside from differences in onset and duration, symptoms of acute stress disorders and PTSD are
almost identical
o Increased arousal, anxiety, and guilt
o Re-experiencing the traumatic event
o Avoidance
o Reduced responsiveness and dissociation
, - Checklist
1. A person is exposed to a traumatic event–death or threatened death, severe injury, or sexual
violation
2. A person experiences at least one of the following intrusive symptoms:
o Repeated, uncontrolled, and distressing memories
o Repeated and upsetting trauma-linked dreams
o Dissociative experiences such as flashbacks
o Significant upset when exposed to trauma-linked cues
o Pronounced physical reactions when reminded of the event(s)
3. The person continually avoids trauma-linked stimuli
4. The person experiences negative changes in trauma-linked cognitions and moods, such as
being unable ti remember key features of the event(s) or experiencing repeated negative
emotions
5. The person displays conspicuous changes in arousal or reactivity, such as excessive alertness,
extreme startle responses, or sleep disturbances
6. The person experiences significant distress or impairment, with symptoms lasting more than
a month
- Other characteristics
o Can occur at any age and affects all aspects of life
o Affects at lest 3.5% - 6% of people in the United States each year
o Most common among women and people with poor financial status or discrimination
experienced
- What triggers acute and post traumatic stress disorders?
o Combat
Shell shock; combat fatigue
PTSD
o Disasters and accidents
Recent hurricanes; traffic accidents
o Victimization
Sexual assault and rape
o Ex. Flood, tsunami, earthquake, etc.
- What triggers acute and post traumatic stress disorders?
o Terrorism
9/11
Mass shootings
o Torture
Physical torture
Psychological torture
Sexual torture
Torture through deprivation
- Why do people develop acute and post traumatic stress disorders?
o Biological factors
Brain-body stress routes
Brain’s stress circuit
Inherited predisposition
o Childhood experiences that increase risk for later PTSD
Chronic neglect or abuse
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