Patti Weiss, Ph. D., from Alta Mira Recovery Programs (www.altamirarecovery.com), speaking about the Diagnosis and Treatment of PTSD through Assessment. Trauma and testing starts with an 18 day diagnosis before the clinicians work on finding a suited solution. According to Doctor Weiss, there are two types of trauma: when bad things happen and when good things happen. Some of the bad trauma may include: 1. Serious accident (fire, explosion, etc.) 2. Natural Disaster (Hurricaine, flood, etc.) 3. Physical assault by a family member/someone you know 4. Physical assault by a stranger 5. Sexual assault by a family member/someone you know 6. Sexual assault by a stranger 7. Military combat / war zone 8. Sexual contact when under 18 with someone who was five or more years older, even if consensual 9. Imprisonment 10. Torture 11. Life-threatening illness 12. All other traumas Trauma caused by a good event 1. Landing your dream job 2. Falling in love 3. Getting married 4. Having a baby 5. Winning an award 6. Getting a new pet 7. Graduating from college 8. Buying your first home 9. Moving to a wonderful place Why good trauma has similar repercussions as bad trauma: 1. Defenses are overwhelmed 2. Lack of repression 3. Magical Thinking 4. Feeling "on top of the world" 5. Reality testing problems 6. Falling in love It's a good idea to be aware of both the negative and positive trauma because the successful traumas cause you to feel like you're on top of the world, magical, and that causes momentary reality testing problems which causes people to not know what's real and what's not real. Some of the people who you may be aware of that have experienced this are Bobby Fisher, Einstein an Philippe Petit. What is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)? 30-40% of people who have had a traumatic experience suffer with PTSD. Negative sleep patterns, places of avoidance, nightmares, flashbacks. How can we test for PTSD? 1. Cognitive testing: A. Verbal comprehension 1. Similarities 2. Vocabulary 3. Information B. perceptual reasoning 1. Block design 2. Matrix Reasoning 3. Visual Puzzles C. working memory and processing speed. 2. Psychological Testing (self reports and projective testing) A. Beck Depression Inventory B. Beck Anxiety Inventory C. Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, Revised Format (MMPI-RF) D. Projective drawings E. Thematic Apperception Test F. Rorschach Inkblot Test 3. Vocational / Personality There are many treatment for PTSD, similar to the treatments for addiction, as well as a medication in trial. Many very well written books have been written about PTSD from both people suffering and people who are watching their loved ones suffer - you can see the list of books on the second to last slide of this video.

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