Anxiety Disorders - PTSD

Question 1

What is a centrifugal disaster?

Answer 1

When the people involved are only together at the time of the incident

Question 2

What is a centripetal disaster? What is the danger of this?

Answer 2

Affects an existing community, the danger is that first responders are also often from that community and can want to help their own families first

Question 3

What is type 1 trauma?

Answer 3

A one off, unexpected traumatic incident

Question 4

What is type 2 trauma?

Answer 4

Repetitive trauma

Question 5

The risk of PTSD is higher with which type of trauma?

Answer 5

Type 2

Question 6

Describe what makes a major incident?

Answer 6

Beyond what could normally be coped with by deployment of emergency services

Question 7

How do most people behave during a traumatic event?

Answer 7

Most people will behave rationally

Question 8

What is tonic immobility and when does it occur?

Answer 8

An involuntary (but reversible) state of profound motor inhibition which occurs when there is an inescapable threat

Question 9

Tonic immobility occurs in up to 2/3rds of cases of what?

Answer 9

Sexual assault

Question 10

What are some pre-traumatic (person related) risk factors for the development of PTSD?

Answer 10

Unresolved past trauma, history of psychiatric condition, serious physical injury, low serum cortisol and severe acute stress reaction

Question 11

What are some peri-traumatic (trauma related) risk factors for the development of PTSD?

Answer 11

Unexpected event, prolonged exposure, perceived threat to life, multiple deaths

Question 12

What are some post-traumatic (environment related) risk factors for the development of PTSD?

Answer 12

Lack of social support, ongoing stresses, disadvantaged, survivor guilt

Question 13

What is the relationship between vulnerability and trauma?

Answer 13

Vulnerability plays less of a role in severe trauma, however in vulnerable people only a small trauma may be needed for problems to start

Question 14

PTSD has a stronger association with what than any other anxiety disorder?

Answer 14

Suicide

Question 15

Approximately 80% of people with PTSD will have at least 1 other psychiatric condition, which are the most common?

Answer 15

Depression, substance misuse, other anxiety disorders

Question 16

According to DSM criteria for PTSD, what 3 classes of symptoms must be present?

Answer 16

Re-experiencing, avoidance and hyper-arousal

Question 17

How long must symptoms persist for to be diagnosed with PTSD?

Answer 17

1 month

Question 18

What are some examples of re-experiencing symptoms of PTSD?

Answer 18

Flashbacks, nightmares, distressing intrusive images

Question 19

What often triggers flashbacks in PTSD?

Answer 19

Something that reminds of the trauma

Question 20

What are some examples of avoidance symptoms of PTSD?

Answer 20

Avoiding people, places or situations that are associated with the event, amnesia for important aspects of the trauma

Question 21

What are some examples of hyperarousal symptoms of PTSD?

Answer 21

Sleep disturbance, irritability/anger, hypervigilence, difficulty concentrating, exaggerated responses to small triggers

Question 22

What are some examples of emotional numbing symptoms of PTSD?

Answer 22

Lack of ability to experience feelings, feeling detatched

Question 23

Which brain structure is responsible for having a role in declarative or explicit memory and the stress response?

Answer 23

Hippocampus

Question 24

Which brain structure is responsible for having a role in fear during and after the trauma?

Answer 24

Amygdala

Question 25

What happens to the hippocampus in PTSD?

Answer 25

It is often shrunken, usually on the right side due to low levels of cortisol