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9.5 - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

from 9 - Integrated Neurobiology of Specific Syndromes and Treatments

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 November 2023

By
Eric Vermetten
Edited by
Mary-Ellen Lynall ,
Peter B. Jones  and
Stephen M. Stahl
Mary-Ellen Lynall
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
Peter B. Jones
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
Stephen M. Stahl
Affiliation:
University of California, San Diego
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Summary

Psychological trauma is different from ordinary stressors, and has been defined as ‘experiencing, witnessing, or being confronted with an event or events that involved actual or threatened death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of self or others’ (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). These events can leave the individual with intense terror, fear and paralysing helplessness. They can also disrupt the integrity of a person, and the sense that the world is predictable and safe. In a majority of exposures there is a gradual return to daily life with no residual symptoms. If symptoms persist or start to manifest and are related to the so called ‘index trauma’, the diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be made. Over time, the events qualifying for traumatic stress have been extensively debated. It must be noted that prior and cumulative effects of trauma exposure are a particularly important determinant of risk for PTSD (Burback et al., 2023).

Type
Chapter
Information
Cambridge Textbook of Neuroscience for Psychiatrists , pp. 416 - 428
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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