MRCPsych on the Go: Revision Essentials

31. Type A Personality Explained: Stress, Vulnerability and Coronary Heart Disease

Two people can experience the same stressful event and respond in completely different ways. One develops depression; the other seems unaffected. Why? In this episode, we explore the factors that determine individual differences in vulnerability and resilience to stress. We cover biological, psychological and social vulnerability factors, and examine the landmark research of Friedman and Rosenman on Type A behaviour and coronary heart disease. Topics include the stress-diathesis model, the Western Collaborative Group Study, the distinction between Type A and Type B personalities, Type D personality, and the clinical implications of personality and behaviour in cardiovascular and psychiatric risk. Ideal for MRCPsych Part A revision, psychology students and anyone curious about what makes some people more resilient than others. Aligned with the Royal College of Psychiatrists MRCPsych Part A syllabus, paragraph 1.1.9. I would love to hear from you! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2596662/fan_mail/new]

30. Complex PTSD Explained: ICD-11 Diagnosis, Self-Organisation and Treatment

What happens when trauma is not a single event, but the air someone has breathed their entire life? In this episode, we explore complex PTSD. This is the ICD-11 diagnosis that captures the lasting impact of prolonged, repeated and inescapable trauma. We build on the core PTSD criteria from the previous episode. We focus on the additional features that define complex PTSD, why it is so often missed or misdiagnosed, and the phased treatment approach recommended by NICE. Topics include disturbances in self-organisation, the distinction between complex PTSD and borderline personality disorder, the developmental context of complex trauma, and why stabilisation must come before trauma processing. Ideal for MRCPsych Part A revision, psychiatry trainees and anyone working with persons who have experienced prolonged or interpersonal trauma. Aligned with the Royal College of Psychiatrists MRCPsych Part A syllabus, paragraph 1.1.9. I would love to hear from you! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2596662/fan_mail/new]

29. Understanding PTSD: Diagnosis, Neurobiology and Treatment

Why does a sound, a smell or a flash of light have the power to pull someone back into the worst moment of their life, years after it happened? In this episode, we explore post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in depth. We cover the ICD-11 diagnostic criteria, the three core symptom clusters, and the neurobiology that explains why PTSD symptoms are so persistent and so difficult to simply talk yourself out of. Topics include re-experiencing, avoidance and hyperarousal, the role of the amygdala, hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, the paradox of cortisol in PTSD, and evidence-based treatments including trauma focused-CBT, EMDR and pharmacological options. Ideal for MRCPsych Part A revision, psychiatry trainees and anyone working with patients who have experienced trauma. Aligned with the Royal College of Psychiatrists MRCPsych Part A syllabus, paragraph 1.1.9, 3.5.1.13 and 3.9.5. I would love to hear from you! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2596662/fan_mail/new]

28. What Is Motivational Conflict? Kurt Lewin, Approach-Avoidance and the Psychology of Trauma

Not all stress comes from outside events. Some of the most corrosive stress arises from within, when we are pulled in opposite directions at the same time. In this episode, we explore the psychology of conflict and trauma. We cover the three classical types of motivational conflict described by Kurt Lewin, the psychological impact of traumatic experience, and the relationship between trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Topics include approach-approach, avoidance-avoidance and approach-avoidance conflict, the diagnostic features of PTSD, and the neurobiological mechanisms underlying traumatic memory. Ideal for MRCPsych Part A revision, psychology students and anyone seeking to understand why trauma leaves such a lasting mark. Aligned with the Royal College of Psychiatrists MRCPsych Part A syllabus, paragraph 1.1.9. I would love to hear from you! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2596662/fan_mail/new]

27. Can Stress Make You Sick? The Social Readjustment Rating Scale and Daily Hassles

Can a single life event make you physically ill? Research suggests it can, and the evidence is more precise than you might expect. In this episode, we explore the social origins of stress. We cover Holmes and Rahe's Social Readjustment Rating Scale, the landmark studies linking life events to illness onset, and Kanner's research on daily hassles and uplifts as independent predictors of wellbeing. Topics include the concept of the life change unit, the distinction between acute and chronic stressors, the difference between negative and positive life events as stressors, and the clinical relevance of life event assessment in psychiatry. Ideal for MRCPsych Part A revision, psychology students and anyone curious about why stress gets under the skin. Aligned with the Royal College of Psychiatrists MRCPsych Part A syllabus, paragraph 1.1.9.  I would love to hear from you! [https://www.buzzsprout.com/2596662/fan_mail/new]