Undoing the Adregenic Response to Treat PTSD - 1403 Words

Why is it that we tend to remember the thrill of a rollercoaster ride we took at age eight, but fail to remember what we ate for breakfast yesterday morning? Why do we remember falling off our bike and scraping our leg, but not what we got on a fifth grade test? It is safe to say that emotionally significant experiences have a certain salience and are likely remembered more often than not. Differentiating what information we will hold on to and what information we will discard, appears to relate to the emotional impact of a memory or event. Moreover, adrenergic activation appears necessary in order to recall certain information or events. In fact, remembering emotionally arousing material involves noradrenergic activation during or soon†¦show more content†¦Rather, psychologists must also employ tools to neutralize the adrenergic response to better treat individuals who have experienced the complexities of trauma. PTSD, as outlined in the 2013 edition of the American Psych iatric Association’s (APA) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) falls under the category of Trauma and Stressor-Related Disorders, and depicts the perfect storm of excessive adrenergic activation, exposure to intense emotional stimuli, and the influence on memory. The criteria include a category of arousal symptoms, with obvious adrenergic components. For example, arousal symptoms may be manifested as sleep disturbances, hypervigilance, concentration difficulties, and an exaggerated startle response. In fact, research shows that there is an overactive noradrenergic function in those with PTSD (Ravindran Stein, 2009). These pair with a second set of symptoms that relate to and are informed by memory. PTSD includes a component of intrusion symptoms associated with the traumatic event(s). Intrusion symptoms include: 1) Involuntary, and intrusive memories of the traumatic event; 2) Recurrent distressing dreams in which the content and/or affect of the dream a re related to the traumatic event(s); 3) Dissociative reactions (e.g., flashbacks) in which the individual feels or acts as if the traumatic event(s) were recurring; 4) Intense or prolonged psychological distress at exposure