Reactions to stressful experiences

Psychiatry ◽  
2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca McKnight ◽  
Jonathan Price ◽  
John Geddes
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Accidents ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Stressful Events ◽  
Stress Disorders ◽  
Stressful Event ◽  
Stress Reactions ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stressful Experiences ◽  
Life Circumstances ◽  
Specific Reactions

In biological terms, stress literally means a force from the outside world acting upon an individual, and is a phenomenon we have all experienced. The term ‘stress’ was first used in the 1930s by the endocrin­ologist Hans Selye to describe the responses of la­boratory animals to various stimuli. Originally, Selye meant ‘stress’ to be the response of an organism to a perceived threat or ‘stressor’, but the term is now used to mean the stimulus rather than the response in some cases. When presented with a stressor of any type, everyone will produce a reaction to that stress, and this is a normal physiological event. However, if the reac­tion is prolonged, too intense, or atypical in some way, stress can become abnormal and cause problems. Stressful events, even when reacted to normally, are important contributors to the causes of many kinds of psychiatric disorder. In this chapter, we consider those psychiatric disorders that are specific reactions to stressful experiences. These may occur independently or alongside other psychiatric conditions and include: … ● acute stress reactions: short- term disorders after stressful events; ● post- traumatic stress disorder: a disorder following exceptionally severe stress; ● adjustment disorders: conditions occurring after a change in life circumstances; ● grief reactions: the normal and abnormal responses to bereavement; ● reactions to special kinds of acute stress: for example, traffic accidents, war, earthquakes, etc… For all these conditions, an identifiable stressor is a necessary but not always sufficient factor in its aetiology. GPs encounter the vast majority of patients with stress disorders who present to the health services, but all clinicians will see these patients in their clinical specialties. The reasons for this are threefold: … 1 Acute physical illness and its treatment are stressful. 2 Chronic illness or disability can result in substantial changes in life circumstances. 3 Clinicians treat people involved in other kinds of stressful experiences…. Everyone reacts to stress differently, and what consti­tutes a stressful event is therefore highly subjective. However, there are certain situations that are likely to be experienced as stressful by anyone. The Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale is a list of 43 life events which predispose to stress- related illnesses, weighted ac­cording to their respective probability of doing so.

Reactions to stressful experiences

2012 ◽  
pp. 153-175
Author(s):  
Philip Cowen ◽  
Paul Harrison ◽  
Tom Burns
Keyword(s):  
Terminal Illness ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Stressful Events ◽  
Stress Reactions ◽  
Severe Stress ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stressful Experience ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Stressful Experiences

Chapter 8 begins with a description of the various components of the response to stressful events, including coping strategies and mechanisms of defence. The classification of reactions to stressful experience is discussed next. The various syndromes are then described, including acute stress reactions, post-traumatic stress disorder, special forms of response to severe stress, and adjustment disorders. The chapter ends with an account of special forms of adjustment reaction, including adjustment to bereavement (grief) and to terminal illness, and the problems of adults who experienced sexual abuse in childhood.

scholarly journals Treatment of victims of trauma

2007 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 358-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gwen Adshead ◽  
Scott Ferris
Keyword(s):  
Acute Stress ◽  
Stress Disorders ◽  
Ptsd Symptoms ◽  
Stress Reactions ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Acute And Chronic Stress ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Traumatic Symptoms

Not all traumatic events cause post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and people develop PTSD symptoms after events that do not seem to be overwhelmingly traumatic. In order to direct services appropriately, there is a need to distinguish time-limited post-traumatic symptoms and acute stress reactions (that may improve spontaneously without treatment or respond to discrete interventions) from PTSD, with its potentially more chronic pathway and possible long-term effects on the personality. In this article, we describe acute and chronic stress disorders and evidence about the most effective treatments.

Reactions to stressful experiences

2017 ◽  
pp. 135-160
Author(s):  
Paul Harrison ◽  
Philip Cowen ◽  
Tom Burns ◽  
Mina Fazel
Keyword(s):  
Childhood Abuse ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Stress Reactions ◽  
Psychological Consequences ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Response To Stress ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Stressful Experiences ◽  
Refugee Experience ◽  
Coping Patterns

‘Reactions to stressful experiences’ covers emotional and physiological elements of the response to stress and the way in which maladaptive coping patterns and inappropriate defence mechanisms can lead to clinical disorders. Stress reactions are often short-lived and respond to support from friends and family. However, particularly severe stresses can lead to the condition of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), an important source of morbidity and disability, whose clinical features, psychology, neurobiology, and treatment are described in detail. The chapter also covers adjustment to threatening and traumatic life events, such as childhood abuse, sexual assault in women, the refugee experience, serious physical illness, and bereavement. These events can produce various kinds of adverse psychological consequences over the lifespan, and the chapter shows how these psychiatric sequelae can be recognized, theoretically understood, and best managed according to current evidence-based practice.

Event-Related Electrodermal Response to Stress: Results From a Realistic Driving Simulator Scenario

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 138-151
Author(s):  
Yannick Daviaux ◽  
Emilien Bonhomme ◽  
Hans Ivers ◽  
Étienne de Sevin ◽  
Jean-Arthur Micoulaud-Franchi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Substance Abuse ◽  
Driving Simulator ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Electrodermal Activity ◽  
Stressful Events ◽  
Situational Factors ◽  
Electrodermal Response ◽  
Stress Reactions ◽  
Stress Experience ◽  
Response To Stress

Objective: The study goal was to test whether induced stress during driving could be measured at the event level through electrodermal activity responses. Background: Stress measured in simulation scenarios could thus far show an overall change in the stress state, but not be well attributed to acute stressful events. Driving simulator scenarios that induce stress measurable at the event level in realistic situations are thus warranted. As such, acute stress reactions can be measured in the context of changing situational factors such as fatigue, substance abuse, or medical conditions. Method: Twelve healthy female participants drove the same route numerous times in a driving simulator, each time with different random traffic events occurring throughout. During one of the scenarios, unknown to the participants, 10 programmed neutral traffic events occurred, whereas in another scenario, at the same location, 10 stressful events occurred. Results: Electrodermal response results showed both effects of scenario type and of events. The amplitude of the electrodermal response was significantly correlated with subjective stress experience. Conclusion: We conclude that our developed ecological driving simulation scenarios can be used to induce and measure stress at the event level. Application: The developed simulator scenarios enable us to measure stress reactions in driving situations at the time when the event actually happens. With these scenarios, we can measure how situational factors, such as fatigue or substance abuse, can change immediate stress reactions when driving. We can further measure more specifically how induced driving stress can affect physical and mental functioning afterward.

Psychological consequences of road traffic accidents for children and their mothers

2004 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 335-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. BRYANT ◽  
R. MAYOU ◽  
L. WIGGS ◽  
A. EHLERS ◽  
G. STORES
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Accidents ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Road Traffic Accidents ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Psychological Outcome ◽  
Post Traumatic

Background. Little is known about the psychological and behavioural consequences of road traffic accidents for children. The study aimed to determine the outcome of road traffic accidents on children and their mothers.Method. A 1-year cohort study of consecutive child attenders aged 5–16 years at an Accident and Emergency Department. Data were extracted from medical notes and from interview and self-report at baseline, 3 months and 6 months.Results. The children had an excellent physical outcome. Fifteen per cent suffered acute stress disorder; 25% suffered post-traumatic stress disorder at 3 months and 18% at 6 months. Travel anxiety was frequent. Post-traumatic consequences for mothers were common.Conclusion. Psychological outcome was poor for a minority of children and associated with disability, especially for travel. There were significant family consequences. There is a need for changes in clinical care to prevent, identify and treat distressing and disabling problems.

scholarly journals An anti-amyloidogenic treatment to specifically block the consolidation of traumatic events in mouse

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula López-García ◽  
Daniel Ramírez de Mingo ◽  
Kerry R. McGreevy ◽  
Anna Pallé ◽  
Helena Akiko Popiel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Traumatic Event ◽  
Negative Mood ◽  
Mental Health Disorder ◽  
Stress Disorders ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Efficient Treatment ◽  
Element Binding Protein ◽  
Post Traumatic

AbstractPost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health disorder triggered by the exposure to a traumatic event that manifests with anguish, intrusive memories and negative mood changes. So far, there is no efficient treatment for PTSD other than symptomatic palliative care. Based on the implication of the functional amyloid cytoplasmic polyadenylation element binding protein-3 (CPEB3) in the consolidation of memory, we propose its active amyloid state as a possible therapeutic target by blocking the consolidation of traumatic memories through polyglutamine binding peptide 1 (QBP1), an inhibitor of the amyloid oligomerization previously investigated in Drosophila.To test this idea in mammals, here we have developed a transgenic mouse that constitutively expresses QBP1 peptide. We first assessed the innocuousness of this peptide for the normal development of the animal, which also showed normal locomotor activity and anxiety. By performing a battery of standard memory paradigms, we then showed that hippocampal-dependent and aversive memories were impaired in the QBP1 mice. Furthermore, protein expression in the hippocampi of experienced mice showed that QBP1 mice do not increase their levels of amyloid oligomerization, evincing the blockade of the CPEB3 protein in its inactive state. The ability of QBP1 to block aversive memories in mice represents the proof of concept of a novel pharmacological approach for prophylaxis and therapy of acute stress and post-traumatic stress disorders.

Imaging of stress-related disorders

2020 ◽  
pp. 850-859
Author(s):  
Navneet Kaur ◽  
Cecilia Hinojosa ◽  
Julia Russell ◽  
Michael B. VanElzakker ◽  
Lisa M. Shin
Keyword(s):  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Stress Disorders ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Positron Emission ◽  
Conditioning Model ◽  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Mri ◽  
Made In

Great advances have been made in understanding the neurocircuitry of stress disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and, to a lesser extent, acute stress disorder (ASD). Studies using structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI and fMRI, respectively) and positron emission tomography (PET) have revealed brain abnormalities consistent with a fear conditioning model. These abnormalities include hyperactivation in brain regions that are associated with the learning and expression of fear, as well as hypoactivation in structures that are associated with safety learning and fear inhibition. Although much progress has been made in our understanding of the neurocircuitry of PTSD, many questions remain unanswered. Future research will be needed to clarify the factors that affect neurocircuitry abnormalities, the origin of such abnormalities, and the role of neuroimaging in assessing and predicting treatment response.

scholarly journals Post-traumatic stress disorder in people with learning disability

2001 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 163-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane McCarthy
Keyword(s):  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Acute Stress ◽  
Traumatic Events ◽  
Life Time ◽  
Stress Reactions ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Personality Changes ◽  
Post Traumatic

It is well recognised that traumatic events can cause psychological disorders in those who experience them. The most common disorders suffered are depression and substance misuse; others include acute stress reactions, anxiety states and personality changes. One disorder following trauma that has received considerable attention over the past 20 years is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD occurs in 20–30% of people exposed to traumatic events and the prevalence in the general population is 1% (Helzer et al, 1987), with life-time prevalence of 9.2%.

scholarly journals Features of the manifestation of posttrummatic stress disorders of ato participants

HUMANITARIUM ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-64
Author(s):  
Svitlana Herasina
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Health ◽  
Sleep Disturbances ◽  
Mental States ◽  
Stress Disorders ◽  
Stressful Event ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Delayed Reaction ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
The Military ◽  
The Impact

The article represents theoretical substantiation of the problem of the impact connected with traumatic events related to the military conflict in the east of Ukraine, on the psycho-emotional state of the soldiers participating in the antiterrorist operation (ATO). There is analysis of modern scientific researches on the interdependence of combat stress with post-traumatic emotional frustration of fighters, causing: intrusive memories, flashbacks and sleep disturbances; avoidance, manifested in emotional distress, apathy, indifference, despair, depression; hyperactivation, which manifests itself in agitation, intense emotional and physiological excitement, and in unproductive psychomotorism. There is proving of the expediency of psychodiagnostic method «Mississippi Scale» (military option) in the study of symptom complexes: «intrusions» – emotional jostling; «Avoidance» – suppression of traumatic memories; «hypersensitivity» – hypertrophied psychophysiological reactions; feelings of guilt and shame and suicidal inclinations. There is empirical definition of psychological peculiarities of respondents with post-traumatic stress disorder as a kind of neurosis, manifested as a result of the simultaneous experience of several psychotraumatic events by a fighter. There is disclosure of PTSD as a delayed reaction of the individual to a stressful event of a threatening nature, which also caused chronic stress – distress. The psychopathological condition of fighters is revealed, which is caused by the necessity to perform responsible combat tasks under the conditions of extreme ATO factors. There is determination of destructive mental states that are developing in the military and in the period of adaptation to the usual conditions of life and service, after returning from the war that reduces the stress resistance and the process of social adaptation.There is description of stressful factors: high responsibility, danger, death of friends, injury, contusion, disability, long stay in the ATO, etc., which destructively affect the psychological health of the soldiers. The basic psychotherapeutic strategies of psychoanalysis of ATO participants are offered: updating of adaptive skills and renewal of own resources of «I»; formation of «positive attitude» to the symptom; reduction of avoidance, focus on the transformation of psychotraumatic experience; change in the attribution of the content of the traumatic situation and its consequences, the feeling of its own «control and authority over the psychotrauma».

Psychosocial Approaches of Acute Stress Reactions

CNS Spectrums ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 116-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard A. Bryant
Keyword(s):  
Acute Stress ◽  
Behavioral Therapy ◽  
Stress Disorders ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Cognitive Behavior ◽  
Stress Reactions ◽  
Biological Mechanisms ◽  
Fear Reduction ◽  
Psychological Therapies ◽  
Psychosocial Approaches

ABSTRACTWhat are the conceptual and empirical bases for current interventions for acute stress reactions following trauma exposure? This review compares the two major alternatives to managing acute stress reactions, outlines their conceptual bases and critiques the evidence for their efficacy in preventing subsequent stress disorders. The review integrates current evidence for cognitive behavior therapy with recent neuroscience findings that fear reduction learning can be enhanced by modulating glutamaterigc systems. D-cycloserine provides exciting opportunities to enhance the effects of cognitive-behavioral therapy, and points to closer understanding of the biological mechanisms that underpin clinical gains achieved by psychological therapies.

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