PYC4802 - Psychopathology Articles Summarized

THEME 2: TRAUMA AND STRESSOR RELATED DISORDERS ARTICLES AVERILL – POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER IN OLDER ADULTS: A CONCEPTUAL REVIEW — This review – 1) Summarize and integrate the extant literature on PTSD in older adults; 2) To spotlight special concerns that are involved in understanding PTSD in older adults; 3) To set the stage for future research in the relatively neglected area. — Initiated by exposure to extraordinarily stressful life events — 3 categories of symptoms a) Reexperiencing Symptoms b) Avoidance and numbing symptoms c) Increased physiological arousal — DSM-5: Individual is exposed to trauma; trauma is persistently reexperiencing; pervasive avoidance of cues associated with the trauma and numbing of general responsiveness; persistent symptoms of hyperarousal; lasted at least 1 month and cause significant distress. — People experience trauma young tend to ‘mask symptoms’ until later in life. — As they aged PTSD symptoms exacerbation was common — Sleep disturbances and memory impairment are seen commonly in OLDER adults in general and may not be associated with trauma exposure per se. — Among older veterans, the most salient PTSD symptoms were distress when exposed to traumarelated events and diminished interest in usual activities. — Suggesting, older adults with PTSD may be prone to symptom exacerbation/worsening when faced with trauma-related triggers. — Suggest PTSD like other anxiety disorders decline with advancing age — Some older adults have a history of chronic PTSD, others indicated that symptomatology resurfaced after a period of symptom-free functioning and yet others report the onset of combat-related PTSD in later life — Not much information on PTSD in older women, mostly men from war etc. — Many combat soldiers experience symptoms 40-50years later — Difficult to study prevalence on war soldiers and holocaust survivors as most are dead — Scotland air disaster – elderly had similar rate of PTSD to younger participants; 84% and 100% of both participants met criteria for PTSD — Relationship between severity of trauma and age — Delayed-onset could be due to as the person ages, physical and mental resilience over time decreases — Normal stressors such as retirement and bereavement may precipitate delayed onset PTSD may not have the psychological resources to cope — Co-Morbid – likely to experience MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER, other anxiety disorders, somatic conditions (feel extreme anxiety over physical symptoms SSD), cognitive disturbances and ALCOHOLISM — 53% reported cases alcoholism among veterans — Alcohol is rationalized as a means of self-medication to reduce symptoms such as nightmares, insomnia, and anxiety - a lot more research is needed — Radiating effects of exposure to trauma on the elderly – Advancing age potentially represents a differential vulnerability factor that moderates the impact of exposure to a stressor — Presumably if older persons are more susceptible to the effects of a stressor, greater negative effects of their psychosocial functioning could be expected, regardless of the type of trauma to which they are exposed — General Psychological Effects – depend heavily on the individual’s premorbid functioning, particularly with regard to anxiety, depression and extant PTSD. Characteristics of the stressor and individual differences in coping skills appeared significant in this report. — Physical Effects – Older adults are more likely to manifest trauma-related symptoms somatically — Coping Strategies – younger soldiers were more likely to experience stress reactions after combat exposure, suggesting that emotional maturity may increase resilience in coping strategies S - The study-notes marketplace Downloaded by: nadiyahkarriem | Distribution of this document is illegal S - The study-notes marketplace — Much more research is needed – specific symptoms may differ in older adults. The potential differences could lead to misdiagnosis