psychopathy of PTSD

Question 1

What is the main treatment recommendation for PTSD symptoms >1 month after trauma?

Answer 1

Individual trauma-focused CBT⁠

Question 2

List the recommended therapeutic approaches for PTSD

Answer 2

• Cognitive Therapy for PTSD
• Cognitive Processing Therapy
• Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET)
• Prolonged Exposure
• EMDR (for non-combat related trauma)

Question 3

What are the core symptom clusters for PTSD diagnosis?

Answer 3

1. Re-experiencing (intrusions, nightmares, flashbacks)
2. Avoidance of trauma-related thoughts/reminders
3. Persistent sense of threat (hypervigilance, startle response)

Question 4

What percentage of British young people experience PTSD before age 18?

Answer 4

7.8% experience PTSD before age 18, while 31% experience trauma

Question 5

What are the three phases of PTSD treatment?

Answer 5

Phase 1: Stabilization (safety, symptom management)
Phase 2: Trauma-Focused Work (exposure, narrative development)
Phase 3: Reintegration (reducing social disability, relapse prevention)

Question 6

What happens to the brain during trauma?

Answer 6

Stress hormones are released: cortisol impairs hippocampus function while epinephrine and norepinephrine increase amygdala activity. This results in partial information storage by hippocampus and most information stored by amygdala

Question 7

What are the two types of negative appraisals in PTSD?

Answer 7

1. Peri-traumatic appraisals (during trauma) - e.g., “I will never be the same”
2. Post-traumatic appraisals (after trauma) - e.g., “I am going mad”, “I cannot trust others”

Question 8

What is the purpose of grounding techniques?

Answer 8

They help bring body and mind out of bad memories and back to the present, providing control over bad memories before trauma-focused treatment⁠