Lecture 11: PTSD

Question 1

What are stressors?

Answer 1

External demands that cause stress.

Question 2

What is stress?

Answer 2

Internal biological and psychological responses to stressors.

Question 3

What are coping strategies?

Answer 3

Efforts to manage stress

Question 4

Which disorders are included in the stress-related category in DSM-5?

Answer 4

PTSD, adjustment disorder, and acute stress disorder.

Question 5

What factors help a person handle stress better?

Answer 5

Optimism, psychological control, self-esteem, and social support.

Question 6

Which gene is linked to stress-induced depression?

Answer 6

The 5HTTLPR gene.

Question 7

What makes a stressor more serious?

Answer 7

Its severity, chronicity, timing, how closely it affects life, how expected it is, and how controllable it is.

Question 8

What is a crisis?

Answer 8

A crisis occurs when a stressor exceeds or threatens to exceed a person’s coping ability.

Question 9

How does the duration of a stressor affect its impact?

Answer 9

The longer a stressor lasts, the more severe its effects.

Question 10

What are some characteristics that increase resilience?

Answer 10

Being male, older, educated, having economic resources, and being positive/self-confident.

Question 11

What factors are linked to worse outcomes after trauma?

Answer 11

Having more negative emotions, being inclined to ruminate, and trying to find meaning in the event.

Question 12

How does chronic stress affect inflammation?

Answer 12

It increases inflammation and impairs the body’s immune response.

Question 13

What health problems are linked to chronic inflammation?

Answer 13

Type 2 diabetes and asthma.

Question 14

What factors predispose someone to stress?

Answer 14

Nature of the stressor, individual perception, stress tolerance, and lack of social support.

Question 15

How does prolonged stress affect the immune system?

Answer 15

Chronic stress impairs the body’s ability to respond to immune signals, affecting its reactivity.

Question 16

How does childhood trauma (ACEs) affect mental health?

Answer 16

ACEs increase the risk of disorders like bipolar, OCD, GAD, and MDD.

Question 17

What is the focus of trauma- and stressor-related disorders?

Answer 17

Emphasizes common etiology (failure of adaptation and recovery) rather than individual symptoms.

Question 18

What is an Adjustment Disorder?

Answer 18

A psychological response to common stressors, symptoms appear within 3 months and lessen when stressor ends or is adapted to.

Question 19

How long after trauma does Acute Stress Disorder occur?

Answer 19

It occurs within a month of the trauma.

Question 20

How does PTSD differ from Acute Stress Disorder?

Answer 20

PTSD lasts more than 1 month, with involuntary re-experiencing of trauma.

Question 21

What is Reactive Attachment Disorder?

Answer 21

A disorder in children caused by abuse or neglect.

Question 22

What is Acute Stress Disorder?

Answer 22

It’s a reaction to trauma that lasts for at least two days but less than a month. If symptoms last longer than a month, it can be diagnosed as PTSD.

Question 23

What is Criterion A for PTSD in DSM-5?

Answer 23

Exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence through direct experience, witnessing, learning about a close one’s experience, or repeated exposure to details.

Question 24

What is not considered trauma according to Criterion A for PTSD?

Answer 24

Psychosocial stressors (e.g., divorce, job loss) and events that are not immediate threats to life or physical injury.

Question 25

What are some examples of intrusion symptoms in PTSD (Criterion B)?

Answer 25

Recurrent distressing memories, nightmares, flashbacks, and psychological distress when exposed to trauma-related cues.

Question 26

What is included in avoidance symptoms for PTSD (Criterion C)?

Answer 26

Avoiding distressing memories, thoughts, feelings, or external reminders related to the trauma.

Question 27

What are negative alterations in mood and cognition (Criterion D) in PTSD?

Answer 27

Inability to remember trauma details, diminished interest in activities, detachment from others, inability to experience positive emotions, and negative emotional states.

Question 28

What is a symptom related to negative beliefs in PTSD (Criterion D)?

Answer 28

Persistent negative beliefs about oneself, others, or the world (e.g., "I am bad," "The world is dangerous").

Question 29

What is Criterion E for PTSD?

Answer 29

Alterations in arousal and reactivity, including sleep disturbances, irritability, hypervigilance, and reckless behavior.

Question 30

What does Criterion G of PTSD require?

Answer 30

The disturbance causes significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

Question 31

What does Criterion H exclude in PTSD?

Answer 31

The disturbance is not attributable to substances (e.g., medication, alcohol) or another medical condition.

Question 32

How does hypervigilance differ between PTSD and GAD?

Answer 32

PTSD involves hypervigilance to threat-related stimuli; GAD involves general anxiety or worry.

Question 33

What emotional symptom is associated with PTSD compared to GAD?

Answer 33

PTSD has a disorder of emotional reactivity (like phobia and social anxiety), whereas GAD involves an alteration of emotional baseline.

Question 34

What is the usual onset time for PTSD symptoms?

Answer 34

1 month.

Question 35

How many people recover from PTSD without treatment in 9 months?

Answer 35

45-80% of people recover without treatment.

Question 36

What percentage of people remain symptomatic after 3 years of PTSD?

Answer 36

33%.

Question 37

What are some risk factors for PTSD related to personal factors?

Answer 37

Female gender, personal or family psychiatric history, low social support, previous trauma, neuroticism.

Question 38

What are situation-related risk factors for PTSD?

Answer 38

Prolonged trauma, exposure to grotesque events, intentional harm by others, and events in childhood.

Question 39

Where are PTSD rates higher?

Answer 39

PTSD rates are higher in areas with more human-caused trauma, such as wars, compared to natural disasters.

Question 40

What biological factors are linked to PTSD?

Answer 40

Higher baseline cortisol levels in women, the 5HTTLPR gene, and reduced hippocampus size are linked to PTSD.

Question 41

What is multi-finality in PTSD?

Answer 41

Trauma can trigger various outcomes, including depression, phobias, psychosis, and personality changes.

Question 42

How do PTSD memories work?

Answer 42

Trauma memories are triggered by the way they are encoded and retrieved, leading to intrusions. Fear structures in the brain become activated, leading to incorrect stimulus-response associations.

Question 43

What is stress-inoculation training?

Answer 43

It’s a cognitive-behavioral technique used to help manage stress by training individuals in coping strategies.

Question 44

What should not be done in crisis intervention?

Answer 44

Psychological debriefing, which encourages emotional expression. Research suggests it may not be effective for everyone.