By: Angelica Vega POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
What are the effects of PTSD on the brain? Can you have PTSD without remembering every detail of the traumatic event? ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
It is an anxiety disorder that can develop after being exposed to a traumatic event. A type of anxiety disorder. Can occur at any age after having gone through a traumatic event. Approximately 7.7 million adults in America have PTSD. WHAT IS PTSD
First brought to the publics attention by war veterans. Swiss Military physicians (1978) Once known as a psychological disorder associated only with veterans of the Vietnam War. ORIGINS OF PTSD
Genes – scientists are focusing on research that determines what role genes play in creative fear memories Brain areas – studying parts of the brain that deal with fear helps to better understand Amygdala is active in fear acquisition PFC stores extinct memories and dampens original fear response CAUSES
Re-experiencing Symptoms Avoidance symptoms Hyperarousal symptoms SIGNS & SYMPTOMS
Includes: Flashbacks Bad dreams (nightmares) Frightening thoughts This can cause problems with one’s daily activities. Words, objects, or situations that remind one of the traumatic event can trigger re-experiencing. RE-EXPERIENCING SYMPTOMS
Includes: Staying away from places, situations, events or objects that can trigger memories of traumatic event. Feeling guilty Feeling depressed Feeling emotionally numb Having trouble remembering the event Things that remind one of the traumatic event they faced can cause avoidance symptoms. May cause them to change one’s routine. For example, if a person witnessed or experiences a roller coaster malfunction/accident, he or she may shy away from roller coaster. AVOIDANCE SYMPTOMS
Includes: Being easily startled Having trouble sleeping Feeling tense Usually constant rather than being triggered by reminders of the traumatic event. Can make a person feel angry and stressed out all the time which can cause day to day activities hard to fulfill. HYPERAROUSAL SYMPTOMS
Symptoms of PTSD typically begin within 3 months of the traumatic incident Occasionally they occur years after PTSD can be diagnosed if any of theses have occurred for a month: One re-experiencing symptom Three avoidance symptoms Two hyperarousal symptoms HOW IT IS DIAGNOSED
Living with PTSD can be very difficult Can cause a lot of stress Depression Take away the enjoyment of everyday life activities Can cause loss of close friends and families Anger Makes it hard to get anything done LIFE WITH PTSD
Exposure therapy Cognitive therapy Stress inoculation training HOW IT IS TREATED
Helps people face and control their fear by exposing them to the their trauma in a safe way. Uses imaginary, writing, and even visits to location of traumatic event. Therapist tries to help people with PTSD deal with their feelings in a good manner. EXPOSURE THERAPY
Helps people make sense of their bad memories (in some cases people remember the incident different than how it truly occurred). May feel guilt and/shame even when its not their fault. The therapists job is to help people look at what happened in a realistic manner. COGNITIVE THERAPY
Attempts to reduce PTSD symptoms by teaching people how to reduce anxiety Skill binding rehearsal: helps deal with emotion regulation, relaxation, cognitive appraisal, fear conditioning, etc.. Helps people view their memories in a healthy way (like cognitive restructuring). STRESS INOCULATION TRAINING
Not all remember traumatic event clearly Some have full and vivid memory Often times it’s the memories that trigger it all. MEMORIES
"PTSD - Emerging Science." YouTube. YouTube, 01 Nov Web. 20 Mar National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health (UK). "Post-traumatic Stress Disorder."PubMed Health. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 18 May Web. 20 Mar "Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder." NIMH RSS. National Institute of Mental Health, n.d. Web. 01 Apr Bentley, Steve. "The VVA Veteran--A Short History of PTSD." The VVA Veteran. Vietnam Veterans of America, Mar.-Apr Web. 02 Apr WORK CITED