PYC 4802 PSYCHOPATHOLOGY

. THEME 2: Trauma and stressor related disorders When is a trauma- or stressor-related response abnormal? - The definition of a trauma is in many ways defined by the individual's sociocultural background, both directl ...

. THEME 2: Trauma and stressor related disorders When is a trauma- or stressor-related response abnormal? - The definition of a trauma is in many ways defined by the individual's sociocultural background, both directly, and indirectly through the beliefs and attitudes he/she has acquired and internalized. - If it leads to negative consequences (e.g. poor job-performance, social withdrawal, anhedonia – loss of experiencing pleasure. - In trauma- and stressor-related disorders exposure to a traumatic or stressful event is listed as the major diagnostic criterion. - Anxiety, dissociation, or obsessive-compulsive responses may also be part of the psychological distress response to experiencing a traumatic event. - Acute stress disorder (ASD) and PTSD are the 2 disorders that have special relevance to South Africa with its high rates of violence and crime. - These disorders are extreme psychological reactions to an intensely traumatic or violent event such as assault, sexual assault, natural disasters, and wartime trauma. - The risk of developing either ASD or PTSD depends on a number of variable, including the type of trauma and degree of perceived threat, the magnitude of the event, the extent of exposure to the stressor, and risk and protective factors specific to the individual. - The trauma may be so overwhelming that the person finds it difficult to process or make sense of the event. - Indirect exposure could also lead to ASD and PTSD. - A diagnosis of ASD and PTSD requires direct or indirect exposure to the traumatic event, as well as symptoms from these major symptom clusters: o Intrusion symptoms o Avoidance o Negative alterations in mood or cognition o Arousal and changes in reactivity o Recurrent symptoms of depersonalisation – feeling detached from one’s own body or thoughts o Or derealisation – a persistent sense of unreality - ASD – present of at least 9 symptoms from any of these clusters. - PTSD – present at least 1 or 2 symptoms from each individual cluster. - If someone with ASD experiences distressing symptoms for more than 30 days, diagnosis may be changed to PTSD. - Person has to be exposed to either – death, threatened death, actual or threatened serious injury, or actual or threatened sexual violence to be diagnosed with either ASD or PTSD