Psy 254 Chapter 6 and 9 Lecture Notes

CHAPTER 6
Disorders of Trauma and Stress
- Components of stress
o Stressor
 Event that creates demands
 Causes fear when viewed as threatening
o Stress response
 Person’s reactions to demands (how we judge both the event and our capacity
to react to react to the event effectively)
o Extraordinary stress and trauma
 Can play a central role in certain psychological disorders
- Stress and psychological disorders
o Acute stress disorder
o Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
o DSM-5 lists these as “Trauma and Stressor-Related Disorders”
- Stress and physical (psychophysiological) disorders
o DSM-5 lists these under “psychological factors affecting medical condition”

Stress and Arousal: The Fight-or-Flight Response
- Features of arousal and fear are set in the hypothalamus
o Two important systems are activated
 Autonomic nervous system (ANS)
 An extensive network of nerve fibers that connect the central nervous
system (the brain and spinal cord) to all other organs of the body
 Endocrine system
 A network of glands throughout the body that release hormones
- Two pathways by which ANS and the endocrine system produce arousal and fear reactions
o Sympathetic nervous system pathway
o Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal pathway

Acute and Post Traumatic Stress Disorders
- Acute stress disorder
o Fear and related symptoms begin within four weeks of event and last for less than one
month
- Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
o Fear and related symptoms may begin either shortly after event, or months or years
afterward
 25% of people with PTSD do not develop a full clinical syndrome until 6 months
or more after their trauma
 At least half of all cases of acute stress disorder develop into post traumatic
stress disorder
- Aside from differences in onset and duration, symptoms of acute stress disorders and PTSD are
almost identical
o Increased arousal, anxiety, and guilt
o Re-experiencing the traumatic event
o Avoidance
o Reduced responsiveness and dissociation

, - Checklist
1. A person is exposed to a traumatic event–death or threatened death, severe injury, or sexual
violation
2. A person experiences at least one of the following intrusive symptoms:
o Repeated, uncontrolled, and distressing memories
o Repeated and upsetting trauma-linked dreams
o Dissociative experiences such as flashbacks
o Significant upset when exposed to trauma-linked cues
o Pronounced physical reactions when reminded of the event(s)
3. The person continually avoids trauma-linked stimuli
4. The person experiences negative changes in trauma-linked cognitions and moods, such as
being unable ti remember key features of the event(s) or experiencing repeated negative
emotions
5. The person displays conspicuous changes in arousal or reactivity, such as excessive alertness,
extreme startle responses, or sleep disturbances
6. The person experiences significant distress or impairment, with symptoms lasting more than
a month
- Other characteristics
o Can occur at any age and affects all aspects of life
o Affects at lest 3.5% - 6% of people in the United States each year
o Most common among women and people with poor financial status or discrimination
experienced
- What triggers acute and post traumatic stress disorders?
o Combat
 Shell shock; combat fatigue
 PTSD
o Disasters and accidents
 Recent hurricanes; traffic accidents
o Victimization
 Sexual assault and rape
o Ex. Flood, tsunami, earthquake, etc.
- What triggers acute and post traumatic stress disorders?
o Terrorism
 9/11
 Mass shootings
o Torture
 Physical torture
 Psychological torture
 Sexual torture
 Torture through deprivation
- Why do people develop acute and post traumatic stress disorders?
o Biological factors
 Brain-body stress routes
 Brain’s stress circuit
 Inherited predisposition
o Childhood experiences that increase risk for later PTSD
 Chronic neglect or abuse