HD 300 1st Edition Lecture 20 Outline of Last Lecture I Levels of memory II Tools to enhance memory III Types of Memory IV PTSD V Trauma Learning Outline of Current Lecture VI PTSD Symptoms VII PTSD in young children VIII Observations IX Parent alert X Therapy XI Symptomatology Current Lecture PTSD Symptoms Re experiencing the event o recurrent intrusive distressing images thoughts or perceptions o recurrent distressing dreams of the event o acting of feeling as if the event were recurring reliving the event o intense psychological distress or reactivity when exposed to cues resembling an aspect of the traumatic event Ex cologne scent of abuser o Cell memory Physical manifestations such as bruises may appear bruises suddenly appear that happened in the event Avoidance numbing o Avoidance of thoughts feeling or conversations associated with the trauma o Avoidance of activities places or people that arouse recollections of the trauma o inability to recall important aspects of the trauma These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor s lecture GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes not as a substitute Diminished interest in significant activities e g holidays Feeling estranged from others Restricted range of affect flat affect Sense of foreshortened future sense of doom Persistent symptoms of increased arousal o difficulty falling asleep and or staying asleep o irritability or outbursts of anger o difficulty concentrating o hypervigilance o exaggerated startle response PTSD in Young Children Repetitive play in which themes or aspects of the trauma are expressed recurrent and frightening dreams or night terrors trauma specific re enactment avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma Numbing of general responsiveness re enacted of the trauma involving another child or a pet in the re enactment persistent symptoms of increased arousal repeated visualization Other observations A single traumatic event is less likely to lead to symptoms delayed PTSD may take time to become full blown although victims are still hypervigilant In both acute and delayed PTSD the victim cannot remember that the trauma is part of the past and he she lives with it every day Parent Alert A child who o is experiencing repeated bad dreams and or night terrors o displays major changes in personality o has experiences more than one traumatic event o talks about things a child is not ordinarily knowledgeable about or that indicate that a child witnessed or was a participants in a traumatic event Summary Memory is not exact and can be influenced and altered by o age of the person at the time of the incident o events that surround the incident interviews etc o suggestibility issues Child abuse can cause chemical and structural changes in the brain that alter memory encoding and recall that may influence later behavior Therapy Provide a sense of safety 1 goal connect memories and feelings helps the child become more resilient helps the child deal with guilt and shame helps the child improve self esteem empowers the child helps the child develop self respect and assertiveness o Zipper metaphor locus of control anyone can open or close it o o o o o internal zipper the child controls it helps the child gain a sense of future Symptomatology What brings the child into therapy o conduct disorders o drug alcohol use o animal abuse o promiscuity or prostitution o perpetrating on other children o eating disorders o bedwetting enuresis o drop in academic achievement o depression o suicidal ideation attempts o anxiety may look like ADHD o borderline personality disorders o dissociative disorders multiple personalities o PTSD Assessment o self esteem o developmental issues o sense of guilt or shame o level of fear what or who they are afraid of o child s concern for the perpetrator esp if it s a family member o child s concern for other family members o how intrusive are nightmares and what are the common themes o what are the triggers o what has the court process been like