PTSD

Trauma & Stressor Related

Post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD, is a mental disorder triggered by a terrifying event that exposes someone to an actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence.

Diagnostic Criteria: (must meet 6 or more of the symptoms)

Symptoms:

Frequency / Time

Behavioral: irritability, agitation, hostility, self-destructiveness, social isolation

Psychological: flashback, mistrust, fear and anxiety

Mood: Loss of interest in activities, guilt or loneliness

Sleep: Insomnia

Toddlers: rare

Children(6-13): common

Teenagers(14-18):common

Young Adults(19-40): very common

Adults(41-60): very common

Seniors(60+): very common

[ Brain Chemistry ]

• Most people who suffer from PTSD have a smaller hippocampus(processes unconscious memories)
• Increased amygdala(responsible for aggression, fear, emotions) functioning
• Decreased functioning in the prefrontal cortex & anterior cingulate function
• Increased cortisol(stress hormone; increases sugar in bloodstream) and norepinephrine(controls alertness & arousal) in response to stress
• Worsened memory, attention, planning, problem solving

TREATMENTS

• Psychotherapy
• Cognitive Processing Therapy(CPT) lasts 12 weeks. Talking with a therapist to recognize cognitive patterns keeping a person stuck on a traumatic event.
• Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing(EMDR) uses a series of guided eye movements to help process traumatic memory with the goal to positively change how one reacts to it (lasts 3 weeks).
• Medication
• Antidepressants, Goal: relieve depression and anxiety, improve sleep & concentration problems. Inhibits reuptake of serotonin which regulates mood, anxiety , and happiness.
• Prazosin, Goal: reduce/suppress nightmares(doctor's recommendation and prescription needed)

Case Study

• Monica Seles(1993) was stabbed in the back by a fan of her opponent during a match.
• 2 year hiatus from the tennis court. Felt emotionally conflicted with any mention of her tennis career.
• Treatment: receiving extensive therapy from her psychologist
• Outcome: won a grand slam, retired 2008.

Statistics

• 7-8% of US will develop PTSD sometime in their life
• 10% of female
• 4% of males

• 70% of adults experience at least one traumatic event in their lifetime
• 20% of people who experience such event will develop PTSD

• Most common causes of PTSD:

Rape(13.1%), Sexual Assault(15.1%), Death of a Loved One(11.6%)

WORKS CITED:

American Psychiatric Association. "Post-traumatic Stress Disorder." Trauma and Stressor Related Disorders. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th ed., PDF ed., American Psychiatric Association, 2013, pp. 271-80. DSM.

FindingDulcinea. "On This Day: Tennis Star Monica Seles Stabbed during Match." findingDulcinea, Dulcinea Media, 30 Apr. 2011, www.findingdulcinea.com/news/on-this-day/March-April-08/On-this-Day--Monica-Seles-Stabbed.html. Accessed 14 Dec. 2019.

Mayo Clinic Staff. "Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)." Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER), 6 July 2018, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/post-traumatic-stress-disorder/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20355973. Accessed 15 Dec. 2019.

National Center for PTSD. "How Common Is PTSD in Adults?" U.S. Department of Veterans Affair, 17 Oct. 2019, www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/common/common_adults.asp. Accessed 15 Dec. 2019.

Psychotraumatol, Eur J. "Trauma and PTSD in the WHO World Mental Health Surveys." National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 27 Oct. 2017, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5632781/. Accessed 15 Dec. 2019.