PSYC 3140MAY 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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ko6a3nNSonY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fyf1LeX2nU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bqLKXmdDuE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnOLhXmhkyA

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

http://www.dsm5.org/Documents/PTSD%20Fact

%20Sheet.pdf

Williams, S.T. (2012). ‘Holy PTSD, Batman!:’ An analysis of

the psychiatric symptoms of Bruce Wayne. Academic

Psychiatry, 36(3), 252-255. doi: 10.1176/appi.ap.36.3.252