Unit 4 PT 3 Flashcards
(21 cards)
Characteristics of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD):
1) Flashbacks’, recurrent dreams/nightmares, or painful, intrusive memories of the traumatic event
2) Diminished responsiveness, a ‘don’t-care’ attitude, or psychological numbing to the external world (mainly during the weeks following the event)
3) Feelings of alienation or detachment from social environment- Leads to difficulty in developing close, meaningful relationships with others
4) Sleep problems
5) Being easily startled
6) Considerable difficulty concentrating or remembering
7) Extreme avoidance of anything reminding person of traumatic event(s) he/she has experienced
More Info
1) Symptoms of PTSD may not emerge until considerable time has passed (Examples: 6 months, to a year, or more)
2) DSM-5 indicates symptoms usually begin within 3 months of the trauma
1) Two types of PTSD
1) Chronic PTSD
2) 2. Acute PTSD
Chronic PTSD
1) Persists for extended period (often years)
2) Can significantly impair person’s daily functioning and quality of life
Acute PTSD
1) Don’t realise distress initially
2) Can develop into full blown PTSD
Delayed symptoms of PTSD:
1) Dissociated state
2) Battered woman syndrome
3) Dissociation
Battered woman syndrome
1) Described a pattern of psychological symptoms that result from prolonged abuse (typically at the hands of intimate partner)
Characteristics of battered women:
1) Learned helplessness
2) Psychological effects
3) Trauma bonding
4) Cycle of abuse
Use of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in courts:
1) Evidence shows that while courts are willing to admit evidence of PTSD- Using it to support an insanity defense isn’t likely to be successful
2) When PTSD defense have been successful- Usually results in finding of diminished responsibility rather than complete absolution of responsibility for defendant
3) PTSD has also been noted in plea bargaining and presentence reports
4) Prosecutors may be more willing to accept guilty plea to reduce a charge and judges are more willing to impose lighter sentence if evidence of PTSD exists
5) Prosecutors perceived those with PTSD as less criminally responsible and were more willing to be lenient
Dissociation
1) refer to extreme amnesia for past events or even dissociative identity disorder
Dissociative disorders are characterized by a disruption of and/or discontinuity in normal integration of:
1) Consciousness
2) Memory
3) Identity
4) Perception
5) Body representation
6) Motor control
7) Behaviour
Dissociative identity disorder (DID)
Psychiatric syndrome characterized by two or more distinct personalities, any of which may be dominant at any given moment
- Formerly called ‘MPD’ Characterised by:
1) Presence of two or more distinct personality states or an experience of possession
2) Recurrent episode of amnesia
Latrogenic
Process whereby mental or physical disorders are unintentionally induced or developed in patients by physicians, clinicians, or psychotherapists
Case of the ‘Hillside strangler’
1) MPD has been used successfully as an excusing condition for criminal responsibility- In general MPD was not successful defense
Hillside strangler was given wide publicity because of brutality and sadistic quality of his murders
Bianchi insisted he was innocent, arguing that an alter personality (‘Steve’) has done the
killings He pleaded not to be guilty by reason of insanity
Court concluded Bianchi was a psychopath
Bianchi then quickly changed his plea to guilty in order to avoid death penalty
Occurrence- Physical trauma, neuropsychological disturbance, or psychological factors 2 classifications of amnesia:
1) Retrograde
→ Loss of memory for events that occurred before a certain point in time (past events)
→ Often due to brain injury or trauma
2) Anterograde
→ Inability to form new memories after event that caused onset
→ Memories from before onset remain intact
2 types of amnesia:
1.Localised- Failure to recall events during a circumscribed period of time
2.Generalised- Complete loss of memory
Localised amnesia
1) Is also referred to as ‘limited amnesia’
2) Pathological inability to remember a specified episode/small number of episodes
from the recent past
3) Limited amnesia is not ongoing and doesn’t involve extensive memory loss- Rather the loss is temporary and restricted to specific event or incident
Use of dissociative amnesia in courts:
1) Court haven’t been receptive to amnesia as a valid condition in either insanity defense or as a condition promoting incompetence to stand trial
2)Criminal courts may become more sympathetic to defendants claiming they can’t remember incident or chain of incidents due to amnesia related to their psychological conditions
2) Amnesia is evaluated with recognition tests tailored to information client claims not to know
3) Amnesia associated with alcoholic intoxication presents a common excuse for shameful behaviour and is most commonly invoked excusing condition in criminal cases
4) Courts haven’t been sympathetic to defendants relying on excuses based on alcohol or other drug intoxication
5) Courts hold person blameworthy- He/she should have known the risks involved in drinking alcohol or taking drugs
6) Attempts to use amnesia in this way have met with strong judicial resistance
7) Amnesia essentially fails to qualify as a mental disorder that robs a person of the ability to distinguish between right and wrong
Management
Community alternatives (Example: Pretrial diversion into specialized treatment program) may be good approach for persons with severe mental illness charged with crimes
Various characteristics of this heterogeneous group:
1) Some display history of antisocial behaviour from very early age
2) Others begin engaging in antisocial behaviour around time of schizophrenia onsets
3) Others commit only 1 violent attack in their lives
4) Others behave aggressively only when acutely psychotic
