post-traumatic stress disorder

(noun)

A serious condition that develops following an intensely stressful situation or event.

Related Terms

  • hypervigilance
  • acute stress response

Examples of post-traumatic stress disorder in the following topics:

  • Stress and Disease

    • Over-activation of the stress response can result in pathology and disease.
    • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma .
    • Sensory input, memory formation, and stress response mechanisms are affected in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder.
    • There is consistent evidence from MRI volumetric studies that hippocampal volume is reduced in post-traumatic stress disorder.
    • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to psychological trauma.
  • Fibromyalgia

    • Fibromyalgia is a medical disorder characterized by chronic widespread pain and a heightened and painful response to pressure.
    • It is frequently comorbid with psychiatric conditions such as depression and anxiety, and stress-related disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
    • They then narrow down the diagnosis by eliminating the possible disorders one by one until only fibromyalgia is left.
    • Historically, fibromyalgia was considered a musculoskeletal disorder, but it is now considered a disorder of the central nervous system.
    • Some research suggests that these brain anomalies may be the result of childhood stress, or prolonged or severe stress, rather than an inherited disorder.
  • Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

    • Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) develops after exposure to an event that is so stressful for an individual that it becomes traumatic.
    • Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) develops after exposure to an event that is so stressful for an individual that it becomes traumatic.
    • Historically (DSM-IV) categorized as an anxiety disorder, it is now  categorized under "Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorders" in the DSM 5.
    • The HPA axis is a major biological mechanism of stress and stress response
    • Describe the role of the endocrine system in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
  • The Fight-or-Flight Response

    • The fight-or-flight response (also called the acute stress response) was first described by Walter Bradford Cannon.
    • The stress response halts or slows down various processes, such as sexual responses and digestive systems, to focus on the stressor situation.
    • Prolonged stress responses may result in chronic suppression of the immune system, leaving the body open to infections.
    • Stress responses are sometimes a result of mental disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (in which the individual shows a stress response when remembering a past trauma) and in panic disorder (in which the stress response is activated by the catastrophic misinterpretations of bodily sensations).
    • Discuss the endocrine system's role in the fight-or-flight response to stress
  • Amnesia

    • Functional causes are psychological factors, such as mental disorder, post-traumatic stress, or, in psychoanalytic terms, defense mechanisms.
    • Repressed memory, which refers to the inability to recall information, usually about stressful or traumatic events in persons' lives (e.g. a violent attack or disaster).
    • Post-hypnotic amnesia is where events during hypnosis are forgotten, or where past memories are unable to be recalled.
    • Drug-induced amnesia is intentionally caused by injection of an amnesiac drug to help a patient forget surgery or medical procedures, particularly those not performed under full anesthesia, or likely to be particularly traumatic.
    • It has been claimed that it involves a narrowing of consciousness with attention focused on central perceptual details, and/or that the emotional or traumatic events are processed differently from ordinary memories.
  • Traumatic Brain Injury

    • Traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurs when an external force injures the brain and can be caused by a direct impact or by acceleration alone.
    • Traumatic brain injury (TBI), also known as intracranial injury, occurs when an external force traumatically injures the brain.
    • Movement disorders that may develop after TBI include tremor, ataxia (uncoordinated muscle movements), myoclonus (shock-like contractions of muscles), and loss of movement range and control (in particular with a loss of movement repertoire).
    • The risk of post-traumatic seizures increases with severity of trauma and is particularly elevated with certain types of brain trauma such as cerebral contusions or hematomas.
  • Agonists, Antagonists, and Drugs

    • Drugs effecting cholinergic neurotransmission may block, hinder, or mimic the action of acetylcholine and alter post-synaptic transmission.
    • The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonists are gaining increasing attention as drug candidates for multiple central nervous system disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and nicotine addiction.
    • As beta-adrenergic receptor antagonists, they diminish the effects of epinephrine (adrenaline) and other stress hormones.
  • Menopause

    • In addition, women who have some sort of functional disorder affecting the reproductive system (e.g., endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, cancer of the reproductive organs) can go into menopause at a younger age than the normal timeframe.
    • The functional disorders often significantly speed up the menopausal process and create more significant health problems, both physical and emotional, for the affected woman.
    • These include: irregular menses, vasomotor instability (hot flashes and night sweats), atrophy of genitourinary tissue, increased stress, breast tenderness, vaginal dryness, forgetfulness, mood changes, and in certain cases osteoporosis and/or heart disease.
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