1. Post traumatic stress disorder (PTsd) in war veterans
Timothy demason and christian edinger

2. Videos of PTSD YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azWNpCap_Ww
CBS NEWS:

3. Etiology: Biological Factors
Noradrenaline
Stathmin
GRP (gastrin-releasing peptide)
Hyperresponsive Amygdala and Prefrontal Cortex
Shin et al. (2001)

4. Etiology: Cognitive Factors
Appraisal
Lower Intelligence
McNally and Shin (1995)

5. Etiology: Sociocultural Factors
Discrimination
Oppression
Roysircar (2000)
Societal Expectations

6. symptoms
Re-experiencing
Avoidance
Hyper arousal

7. Prevalence
2-17% point prevalence of combat related PTSD in US military veterans

12. Cultural Factors
3% Prevalence rate
Around 0-3% Globally

13. Gender Variations
Higher in women than men

14. Treatment Approaches Other Medication
Psychotherapy
Cognitive Therapy (CT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Prolonged Exposure (PE), and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Stress Inoculation Training
Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT)
Group Therapy
Family Therapy
Psychodynamic Therapy
Medication
Other
Exercise and other physical activities

15. Relationship between etiology and therapeutic approach
Disclaimer:
No 1 treatment works for everyone
Identifying a specific cause is reductionist
Can one truly treat symptoms when the “causes” are unknown
Primary therapeutic approach aimed to reduce greatest risk factor
Culture affects beliefs about causes and treatments
Gender
Desire to locate causes is a highly western phenomenon
Eclectic approach works well

16. Relationship between etiology and therapeutic approach Cont’d
Low levels of Serotonin are present in PTSD victims
Use of SSRIs to help Serotonin stay in the synapse longer would be one way etiology would cause a therapeutic approach
Low education about PTSD and an inability to cope with the traumatic event
Use of Prolonged Exposure (PE) to educate patient and then enhance their ability to face the traumatic event so that they can move on with daily life
Low levels of cortisol are also present
Glucocorticoid provides a dose of corticosterone to boost cortisol levles and has worked in rats
There are many different relationships that exist and since PTSD is complex and relatively new Researchers have not found an optimal treatment for PTSD, AND SYMPTOMS ARE WHAT ARE ULTIMTELY REDUCED RATHER THAN THE MENTAL ILLNES ITSELF

17. PTSD Cognitive factor: Coping ability (Foa & Kozak, 1986)
Pathophysiology
Neuroendocrinology
Over-reactive adrenaline response
Hypocortisolism
High norepinephrine
Neuroanatomy
HPA Axis
Hippocampus and flashbacks = suppression
(Skelton et al., 2011)
(Heim, Elhert, and Hellhammer, 2000)
Cognitive factor:
Coping ability
(Foa & Kozak, 1986)
Traumatic event
PTSD
Biological Factor:
Genetic Predisposition
(True et al., 1993)
Sociocultural factors: Societal expectations
(Nayback, 2008)