PTSD Flashcards
What are the most common symptoms of PTSD?
After being exposed to a threat or serious injury.
- Intrusions – event is re-experienced in recollections or dreams after being exposed to cues
- Avoidance – efforts to avoid distressing memories and avoid reminders of the activity
- Avoidance (seperated) – unable to recall details or aspect of the trauma
- Hyperarousal – persistent symptoms of increased arousal and alterations in reactivity to stimuli
What are the anatomical areas of dysfunction in the CNS of PTSD?
- Amygdala – over activation to normal nonthreatening stimuli
- Hippocampus – reduced hippocampal volumes
- Prefrontal Cortex – LESS activation
How is processing different in amygdala vs cortical?
Amygdala – takes in sensory input and can illicit immediate sympathetic response if it cues a threatening memory
What is the hippocampus’ role in PTSD?
– contextualizes fear and puts it in context, which is the dysfunctional part in PTSD
How is the prefrontal cortex and amygdala regulated together?
They are inversely related.
- When the PFC is activated the Amygdala is inactive and when the Amygdala is active the PFC is inactive.
- PFC is generally used for decision making and executive processing, so when its off, non-contextual fear can be illicited.
Why can PTSD patient not typically remember details of their events and experiences?
Traumatic memories must be accessed in a state of similar emotional arousal. Memories are State Dependent.
What are methods to elicit behavioral deconditioning?
- Flooding – (Implosive Therapy) when they relive the experience and re-expose talking through it
- Systemic Desensitization - slowly re-exposing the patient to stimuli to help overcome their negative response and anxiety.
What pathways do the various types of therapies target for PTSD?
Talk Therapy – Prefrontal Cortex control, indirect Amygdala
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy – PFC and direct amygdala
Drug Therapy – Directly Amygdala + rest of brain
What is the most effective therapy for PTSD?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapies
- Stress innoculation training
- Rescripting and Reprocessing the event
- Cognitive Reconstruction
- Prolonged exposure
What might be symptoms to notice in a patient after they had a traumatic experience to be concerned for PTSD (even if they don’t mention anything)
- Difficulties with concentration
- Sleep disturbances
- Increased startle response
- Irritability
- Change in mood / appetite
What are questions that can be asked as a screening tool for PTSD?
- Experienced any vivid thoughts about the injury?
- Are you able to return to the place of the accident or injury?
- What do you think can be done to prevent the injury?
What is the difference between Acute Stress disorder and PTSD?
Acute Stress Disorder – usually only lasts less than 4 weeks
PTSD – Has been present for more than 1 week
