PSYC 3140 MAY 28, 2014 Trauma and Stressor-Related Disorders

Stress and Stress-Responses Stressors:  rush-hour, college graduation, poor health, tornado Stress-response to perceived threatening stressor:  Arousal  Fear:  (physical) muscle tension, heart racing  (emotional) horror, panic  (cognitive) poor concentration, overestimation of threat

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: DSM-5 Checklist 1. Exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violation; exposure results from:  Direct experience  Witnessing the event in-person  Learning of the event occurring to a close loved one  First-hand repeated or indirect exposure to aversive details of event

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: DSM-5 Checklist 2. One or more intrusive symptoms 3. Persistent avoidance of trauma- associated stimuli 4. Negative changes in cognitions and mood 5. Significant changes in arousal and reactivity 6. Significant distress and/or impairment; symptoms last more than 1 month

Activity View selections of PTSD case study    

Activity Small groups:  Identify symptoms demonstrated in the video clips  Brainstorm any additional PTSD-related symptoms displayed by Bruce Wayne/Batman (not shown in the clips)

At-a-Glance PTSD Criteria 1. Exposure to traumatic event 2. Intrusions/re-experiencing 3. Avoid trauma-related stimuli 4. Cognition and mood changes 5. Arousal and reactivity changes 6. Impairing symptoms last > 1 month

References American Psychiatric Association (2013). Posttraumatic stress disorder [Fact sheet]. Retrieved from Williams, S.T. (2012). ‘Holy PTSD, Batman!:’ An analysis of the psychiatric symptoms of Bruce Wayne. Academic Psychiatry, 36(3), doi: /appi.ap