scholarly journals Active inference, stressors, and psychological trauma: A neuroethological model of (mal)adaptive explore-exploit dynamics in ecological context

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam Linson ◽  
Thomas Parr ◽  
Karl J. Friston
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Trauma ◽  
Active Inference ◽  
Neuronal Responses ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Belief Updating ◽  
Formal Approach ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Clinical Literature ◽  
Policy Selection ◽  
Post Traumatic

AbstractThis paper offers a formal account of emotional inference and stress-related behaviour, using the notion of active inference. We formulate responses to stressful scenarios in terms of Bayesian belief-updating and subsequent policy selection; namely, planning as (active) inference. Using a minimal model of how creatures or subjects account for their sensations (and subsequent action), we deconstruct the sequences of belief updating and behaviour that underwrite stress-related responses – and simulate the aberrant responses of the sort seen in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Crucially, the model used for belief-updating generates predictions in multiple (exteroceptive, proprioceptive and interoceptive) modalities, to provide an integrated account of evidence accumulation and multimodal integration that has consequences for both motor and autonomic responses. The ensuing phenomenology speaks to many constructs in the ecological and clinical literature on stress, which we unpack with reference to simulated inference processes and accompanying neuronal responses. A key insight afforded by this formal approach rests on the trade-off between the epistemic affordance of certain cues (that resolve uncertainty about states of affairs in the environment) and the consequences of epistemic foraging (that may be in conflict with the instrumental or pragmatic value of ‘fleeing’ or ‘freezing’). Starting from first principles, we show how this trade-off is nuanced by prior (subpersonal) beliefs about the outcomes of behaviour – beliefs that, when held with unduly high precision, can lead to (Bayes optimal) responses that closely resemble PTSD.

scholarly journals Trauma or Drama: A Predictive Processing Perspective on the Continuum of Stress

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
valery krupnik
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Trauma ◽  
Stress Disorders ◽  
Predictive Processing ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Diagnostic And Statistical Manual ◽  
Clinical Literature ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
Traumatic Stress Disorders ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Clinical Phenomenology

The notion of trauma has been liberally used both in clinical literature and general discourse. However, no consensus exists on its exact meaning and definition. Whereas traditionally trauma has been mostly associated with criterion A of acute and post-traumatic stress disorders as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, many researchers find this definition too constraining and not accounting for the complexity and many aspects of psychological trauma. This touched off a quest for a broader more accommodating trauma concept, and a dimensional view of trauma has been suggested with PTSD as its extreme manifestation. The dimensional view also has its detractors arguing that a “conceptual bracket creep” may undermine the category’s utility. Both categorical and dimensional views mostly rely on trauma’s clinical phenomenology and lack a unified theoretical basis. In an attempt to reconcile this contradiction, a hybrid categorical-dimensional model of trauma based on the general theory of stress has been recently proposed (Krupnik, 2019). In this report, we explore the categorical boundary of the trauma concept, as posited by the model, within the predictive processing framework (PPF). We integrate the PPF view with the theory of stress. In conclusion, we briefly discuss how the proposed model of trauma may guide clinical practice.

scholarly journals Psychotic PTSD? Sudden traumatic loss precipitating very late onset schizophrenia

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. e235384
Author(s):  
Iris McIntosh ◽  
Giles W Story
Keyword(s):  
Late Onset ◽  
Terrorist Attack ◽  
Mental Content ◽  
Psychological Trauma ◽  
Severe Trauma ◽  
Cognitive Testing ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Traumatic Loss ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Mild Impairment

Early theories of schizophrenia considered the illness as a fragmentation of mental content in response to psychological trauma. Here we present a case of very late onset schizophrenia in a previously high-functioning man in his mid-60s, precipitated by having lost his family in a terrorist attack, while he was living in Africa. He presented with symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder, however also exhibited visual and auditory hallucinations and marked deterioration in daily functioning. He showed mild impairment on cognitive testing, however brain imaging and screening for reversible causes of cognitive impairment were normal. The case highlights the need for a formulation-based approach to understanding and managing responses to severe trauma, from resolution through to psychotic disintegration.

Conceptualizing Service-Related Trauma: Controversies, Challenges, and Opportunities in the Canadian Context

2021 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiffany A. Beks ◽  
Sharon L. Cairns ◽  
Anusha Kassan ◽  
Kelly D. Schwartz
Keyword(s):  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Military Service ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Psychological Trauma ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Military Members ◽  
Canadian Context ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Post Traumatic

This article considers three perspectives that have figured prominently in the conceptualization of psychological trauma related to military service in the Canadian context—that of military institutions, that of military members, and that of counselling psychologists. A closer examination of these views reveals points of contention regarding the origins, terminology, and cultural relevance of conceptualizations of service-related trauma, such as post-traumatic stress disorder By drawing from theoretical, empirical, critical, and anecdotal literature, this article highlights the need for counselling psychologists to continually evolve their understanding of the broader contexts in which service-related trauma occurs and to honour military members’ knowledge of diverse sources of traumatic suffering.

Reproductive and Mental Health during Natural Disaster

2015 ◽  
pp. 265-291
Author(s):  
Jasim Anwar
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Natural Disasters ◽  
Psychological Trauma ◽  
Depression And Anxiety ◽  
Psychological Consequences ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Health And Wellbeing ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
The Impact

With the ever-increasing number of natural disasters, it is important to understand the impact on the health and wellbeing of survivors, especially women. The reproductive and mental health of women contributes significantly to their overall wellbeing. The Chapter gives an overview of natural disasters with an emphasis on consequences of earthquakes of health and wellbeing of the survivors. It includes a critical review of published studies on psychological trauma and reproductive health following earthquake disasters. Among the psychological consequences of earthquakes, this chapter describes post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety. The last section of this chapter reviewed reproductive health in relation to the mental health consequences following natural disasters.

scholarly journals The symptomatology of psychological trauma in the aftermath of war (1945–1980): UK army veterans, civilians and emergency responders

2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (5) ◽  
pp. 811-818 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alberta Engelbrecht ◽  
Howard Burdett ◽  
Maria João Silva ◽  
Kamaldeep Bhui ◽  
Edgar Jones
Keyword(s):  
Sleep Problems ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
Recovery Process ◽  
Psychological Trauma ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Duration Of Symptoms ◽  
Emergency Responders ◽  
Case Files ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Anxiety Depression

AbstractBackgroundUK veterans suffering from a psychological or psychiatric illness as a consequence of service in the Second World War were entitled to a war pension. Their case files, which include regular medical assessments, are a valuable resource to investigate the nature, distribution and duration of symptoms.MethodsA standardised form was used to collect data from pension records of a random sample of 500 UK army veterans from the first presentation in the 1940s until 1980. Data were also gathered from 50 civilians and 54 emergency responders with a pension for post-traumatic illness following air-raids.ResultsThe 10 most common symptoms reported by veterans were anxiety, depression, sleep problems, headache, irritability/anger, tremor/shaking, difficulty completing tasks, poor concentration, repeated fears and avoidance of social contact. Nine of the 10 were widely distributed across the veteran population when symptoms were ranked by the number of subjects who reported them. Nine symptoms persisted significantly longer in the veteran sample than in emergency responders. These included seven of the most common symptoms, together with two others: muscle pain and restlessness. The persistence of these symptoms in the veteran group suggests a post-traumatic illness linked to lengthy overseas service in combat units.ConclusionsThe nature and duration of symptoms exhibited by veterans may be associated with their experience of heightened risks. Exposure to severe or prolonged trauma seems to be associated with chronic multi-symptom illness, symptoms of post-traumatic stress and somatic expressions of pain that may delay or complicate the recovery process.

POSTTRAUMATIC GROWTH IN A PROCESS OF REHABILITATAION

2018 ◽  
pp. 57-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Tokhtamysh
Keyword(s):  
Posttraumatic Growth ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Event ◽  
Psychological Trauma ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Rehabilitation Process ◽  
Post Traumatic Growth ◽  
Post Traumatic

This topic is particularly relevant in the context of combat operations in eastern Ukraine against the occupation of the country, where members of the combined forces operation in each day are in a situation threatening the life and risk of getting a military psychological trauma. The article considers the elements and conditions of post-traumatic growth in the context of the rehabilitation process and the social promotion of human development after a traumatic event. The phenomenon of post-traumatic growth can transform the concept of rehabilitation into a term that can be labeled as "proabilitation". The forms of social and rehabilitation support in terms of creating conditions for post-traumatic growth and their effectiveness are explored. The theoretical and applied models with resource elements of the rehabilitation process and post-traumatic growth process are analyzed. It is noted that the traditional model of posttraumatic growth pay attention to the process of rumination and getting control over it and ignores one of the basic symptom of posttraumatic stress disorder, such as uncontrolled visual images (flash backs). The two-component concept of post-traumatic growth, which may be «illusory» or «adaptive», can also be presented as a «compensatory» or «healing» type with regard to the presence or absence of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms after reaching post-traumatic growth. Posttraumatic growth occurs in several domains and can be depending on the type of traumatic event experienced, the individual reactions and the psychological qualities of the person. This process is not such that it automatically eliminates the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, the same, rejecting the need for psychotherapeutic and psychosocial care and focusing only on post-traumatic growth can be a false strategy for those who have experienced a traumatic event. Consequently, the phenomenon of post-traumatic growth can be regarded as a powerful resource factor for the rehabilitation process, in particular, as a motivational component of psychosocial assistance.

scholarly journals Healing a Sick World: Psychiatric Medicine and the Atomic Age

2017 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ran Zwigenberg
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Research ◽  
Psychological Trauma ◽  
Psychological Research ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Nuclear Age ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Post War ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Nuclear Warfare ◽  
The Impact

The onset of nuclear warfare in Hiroshima and Nagasaki had far-reaching implications for the world of medicine. The study of the A-bomb and its implications led to the launching of new fields and avenues of research, most notably in genetics and radiation studies. Far less understood and under-studied was the impact of nuclear research on psychiatric medicine. Psychological research, however, was a major focus of post-war military and civilian research into the bomb. This research and the perceived revolutionary impact of atomic energy and warfare on society, this paper argues, played an important role in the global development of post-war psychiatry. Focusing on psychiatrists in North America, Japan and the United Nations, this paper examines the reaction of the profession to the nuclear age from the early post-war period to the mid 1960s. The way psychiatric medicine related to atomic issues, I argue, shifted significantly between the immediate post-war period and the 1960s. While the early post-war psychiatrists sought to help society deal with and adjust to the new nuclear reality, later psychiatrists moved towards a more radical position that sought to resist the establishment’s efforts to normalise the bomb and nuclear energy. This shift had important consequences for research into the psychological trauma suffered by victims of nuclear warfare, which, ultimately, together with other research into the impact of war and systematic violence, led to our current understanding of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Associated to Long-term Dissociative Fugue: A Case Report

2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (S1) ◽  
pp. 1-1
Author(s):  
A. Tatay Manteiga ◽  
L. Laguna Sopena ◽  
M. Lloret Diez-Canseco ◽  
T. Merino Magán ◽  
S. Cepeda Díez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Clinical Case ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Psychological Trauma ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Short Period ◽  
Post Traumatic

Aims:Since the end of 19th century, mental health professionals have noticed that individuals who have experienced traumatic situations often present dissociative symptoms, such as amnesia or fugue states. Dissociation is a defensive mechanism that allows an individual to separate from conscience the psychological distress produced by the trauma. Our aim was to remark the association between Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and long-term dissociative disorders through the study of a clinical case.Method:A clinical case was followed and reviewed to illustrate this relationship.Results:Ten years ago, a 49-year-old man was diagnosed of PTSD after having witnessed several colleagues burnt in a tragic accident at work and having helped the emergency fire brigade to rescue other victims. His symptoms required treatment with antidepressants and psychotherapy, and fully remitted after one year. Nevertheless, during the last year, he has presented two dissociative amnesia episodes lasting for three days each, which were examined by a neurology service. More recently, he has suffered a ten-day episode of dissociative fugue, which required psychiatric hospitalization. Although the patient has been asymptomatic during a decade, it is remarkable that he has presented three dissociative episodes in a short period of time. One of them, the fugue state, is interesting because of its long duration and its relatively low prevalence in the general population.Conclusions:This clinical case allows us to appreciate the long-term relationships between psychological trauma and dissociation, in addition to the well-known short-term effects.

Neurobiology of PTSD: From Brain to Mind

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Genetic ◽  
Psychological Trauma ◽  
Neural Circuitry ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Great Progress ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Assault Victims ◽  
Exposure To Trauma ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Fear Behavior

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a maladaptive and debilitating psychiatric disorder characterized by an extreme sense of fear at the time of trauma occurrence, with characteristic re-experiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal symptoms in the months and years following the trauma. PTSD can occur in up to 25% of subjects who have experienced severe psychological trauma, such as combat veterans, refugees, and assault victims. Why are some people resilient, whereas others develop debilitating PTSD? Notably, PTSD is among the most likely of psychiatric disorders to be understood from the perspective of environmental influences interacting with genetic vulnerability, since diagnosis requires a specific, highly traumatizing, fear-evoking experience. In addition, a large amount of evidence now supports a model in which PTSD can be viewed, in part, as a disorder of fear dysregulation. This is particularly exciting because the neural circuitry underlying fear behavior in mammals is among the most well-understood behavioral circuits in neuroscience. Further, the study of fear behavior and its underlying circuitry has led to rapid progress in understanding learning and memory processes. By combining molecular-genetic approaches with a mechanistic understanding of fear circuitry, great progress is possible in the understanding, diagnosis, and treatment of PTSD. This book examines the basic neural mechanisms that mediate complex responses and adaptations to psychological trauma; it describes what is currently known about how these biological processes are impaired in individuals with PTSD, and how environmental exposure to trauma interacts with the brain to create the syndrome of PTSD.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document