Case 4 - PTSD Flashcards
Week 1 (11 cards)
What event precipitated/caused Julie’s posttraumatic stress disorder?
she was caught in a shootout in her car by herself after a night out.
How do the brain-body stress routes of people with PTSD generally react to stress, both prior to and after their traumatic event?
prior to event ppl who later develop PTSD have overly-reactive brain-body stress routes ie the SNS and the pathway from the hypothal –> pituitary –> adrenal axis. after confrontation with a severe trauma their brain-body stress routes become even more overly reactive.
Why do friends and relatives eventually distance themselves from a person who has had a traumatic incident?
bc the person who had a traumatic incident tend to push ppl away, and become a mean and negative person who is hard to be friends with. they also tend to stop contacting friends or going out of the house.
Why did Julie finally decide to seek treatment?
she saw her physician who suggested she see a pro counselor she recommended. after another bad nights sleep bc of her PTSD she decided to contact him.
Why was Julie diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder rather than acute stress disorder?
bc symptoms lasted more than 4 wks. and even intensified.
What modes of therapy did Mr. Barlow select to assist Julie with her disorder? Give an example of each type of therapy.
Cognitive-behavioural therapy. 1. behavioural approach - exposure therapy; involves exposing the person by in vivo experience (actual) and imaginary experience to anxiety provoking stimuli. ex. driving close to the area the incident happened, or going to police station to watch police. 2. cognitive approach - cognitive processing therapy; guides individ to ID and change ways of thinking that are disrupting daily function. ex. writing an impact statement (the ways the event has impacted their life) and then discuss ways to change that thinking.
What was the purpose of producing a recorded description of the traumatizing incident?
to have julie recall the incident and rate her anxiety while doing so. then she would listen to the recording everyday ad rate her anxiety rxn to it. over next few weeks her anxiety lvls went down to the point where she didnt have a rxn from listening to the video about her traumatizing event.
Why did Julie initially fail to take notes of her feared activities as part of her treatment plan? How did Mr. Barlow handle this problem in his session with Julie?
bc she was exhibiting avoidant behaviour and her mind would come up with excuses to avoid doing exposures that elicited fear. told her this was the case and stayed firm in her continuing to do therapy and changed emphasis of therapy to imaginal exposure and that the next session they would discuss the traumatic event in greater detail.
What other incident in Julie’s early life may have contributed to her posttraumatic stress disorder?
her father recounting the traumatic stories from his childhood, that julie thought may one day happen to her.
What percentage of people with PTSD seek treatment?
about half of ppl do but rarely initially.
So what is PTSD a result of and what does it involve?
its a result of a catastrophic event and involves intrusive memories, avoidance of reminders, difficulty recalling specifics of the event, and various physiological signs of continued severe distress.
