Post Traumatic Stress Disorder News and Research

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Neuropsychologist advices soldiers struggling with mild traumatic brain injury

For soldiers who have suffered a head injury, it can be frustrating when problems linger after returning home. Because there may be no physical signs of injury, issues like memory complaints or sleep disturbances that follow mild traumatic brain injury can be underestimated or overlooked by veterans and their families.

12 Nov 2010

Veterans and caregivers face ongoing challenges

WebMD: "When veterans with service-related injuries or illness need caregivers, the role typically falls on women, usually spouses or partners," according to a new study by the National Alliance for Caregiving and the United Health Foundation. The study "reports that 96% of veterans' caregivers are women, compared to an overall nationwide finding that 65% of family caregivers are women.

12 Nov 2010

New website helps people to endure difficult situations through inspirational stories

A new inspirational stories website, 'GotInspiration.org,' is connecting those who have endured some of life's most difficult situations with those who are looking for inspiration. From quitting drinking to managing post traumatic stress disorder, to surviving cancer, GotInspiration.org is helping people find inspiration and strength, one true story at a time.

11 Nov 2010

Neuron subtypes control level of fear output from amygdala

The eerie music in the movie theater swells; the roller coaster crests and begins its descent; something goes bump in the night. Suddenly, you're scared: your heart thumps, your stomach clenches, your throat tightens, your muscles freeze you in place. But fear doesn't come from your heart, your stomach, your throat, or your muscles. Fear begins in your brain, and it is there specifically in an almond shaped structure called the amygdala that it is controlled, processed, and let out of the gate to kick off the rest of the fear response.

11 Nov 2010

Neuronal circuits involved in acquisition and control of behavioural fear responses identified

Fear is an adaptive response, essential to the survival of many species. This behavioural adaptation may be innate but can also be a consequence of conditioning, during the course of which an animal learns that a particular stimulus precedes an unpleasant event. There is a large amount of data indicating that the amygdala, a particular structure in the brain, is strongly involved during the learning of "conditioned" fear. However, until now, the underlying neuronal circuits have remained largely unknown.

11 Nov 2010

American Psychological Association blocking therapists from learning effective treatments for PTSD

In the wake of enormous controversy about its role in the participation of psychologists in the use of torture to extract information from prisoners at Guantanamo Bay and in other parts of the world, an interview just carried by Truthout reveals a new round of criticism that has been directed toward the American Psychological Association (APA).

1 Nov 2010

Research on brain circuit activity may pave way to find biomarker for PTSD

University of Minnesota Medical School and Minneapolis Veterans Affair Medical Center researchers have discovered a correlation between increased circuit activity in the right side of the brain and the debilitating, involuntary flashbacks triggered by post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

29 Oct 2010

Female soldiers at increased rates of developing PTSD following sexual trauma

Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, continues to inflict a mental and physical toll on America's soldiers, leaving physical, emotional and spiritual scars long after these veterans have left their posts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Additionally, for female soldiers, sexual assault and rape can create similar, and many times more treatment-resistant, symptoms of PTSD, according to Dr. Kimberly Dennis.

29 Oct 2010

Mary Ann Liebert launches Brain Connectivity journal

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. announces the release of a new peer-reviewed journal in an expanding area of systems neuroscience, Brain Connectivity. This timely new journal is positioned to become the premier source of cutting-edge basic and clinical neuroscience research aimed at better understanding of structural and functional connections in the brain and how these connections are altered by neurological disorders.

29 Oct 2010

Neurocrine third quarter revenue increases from $0.7 million to $14.4 million

Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. today announced its financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2010.

29 Oct 2010

Study reveals clear difference between brain communication circuitry of PTSD sufferers and the healthy

US scientists have found a correlation between increased circuit activity in the right side of the brain and the suffering of involuntary flashbacks by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) sufferers.

28 Oct 2010

TCSPP, Los Angeles launches Forensic Training Institute

Since opening in 2008, the Los Angeles Campus of The Chicago School of Professional Psychology (TCSPP) has offered a host of free or low-cost services to the local community, including crisis intervention training; workshops on topics from post-traumatic stress disorder to substance abuse; mental health counseling; and research in partnership with local organizations and agencies.

27 Oct 2010

Study finds online activities does not effect long-term psychological health

After the campus shootings at Virginia Tech in 2007 and Northern Illinois University in 2008, hundreds of affected students turned to social media websites to share their grief and search for solace. A new study of these students found that their online activities neither helped nor harmed their long-term psychological health.

21 Oct 2010

First preventative approach to improve outcomes in traumatized children

After experiencing a potentially traumatic event - a car accident, a physical or sexual assault, a sports injury, witnessing violence - as many as 1 in 5 children will develop Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

30 Sep 2010

Teens who experience manic phase of bipolar disorder more likely to engage in high risk sexual behaviors

Although research has shown that teens with mental health disorders are more likely to engage in high risk sexual behaviors, like unprotected sex, a new study from the Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center suggests there is an additional risk associated with certain psychiatric diagnoses.

29 Sep 2010

Study analyses PTSD treatment guidelines

In recent years, several guidelines in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder have been put into practice globally. Practice guidelines across the health sphere are very important in guiding the care people receive. Although there is a high level of consensus on these guidelines among practitioners, there are also differences that can lead to confusion among providers, patients, and purchasers of mental health services for people affected by trauma.

29 Sep 2010

$Study finds high rate of C-sections in women suffering from pelvic fractures$

Study finds high rate of C-sections in women suffering from pelvic fractures

In research led by a Saint Louis University surgeon, investigators found that women who give birth after suffering pelvic fractures receive C-sections at more than double normal rates despite the fact that vaginal delivery after such injuries is possible. In addition, women reported lingering, yet often treatable, symptoms following their pelvic fracture injuries, from urinary complications to post-traumatic stress disorder.

24 Sep 2010

Study says PTSD veterans suffer from more medical conditions

Is the US health system comprehensively meeting the needs of returning veterans? With the recent attention to mental illness in returning soldiers, and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in particular, little research has focused on the medical care needs of those returning from Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom, according to Dr. Susan Frayne, from the VA Palo Alto Health Care System and Stanford University, and colleagues.

21 Sep 2010

Caregivers at higher risk for PTSD when cancer patients die in hospital

Cancer patients who die in the hospital or an intensive care unit have worse quality of life at the end-of-life, compared to patients who die at home with hospice services, and their caregivers are at higher risk for developing psychiatric illnesses during bereavement, according to a study by researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

16 Sep 2010

Neurocrine Biosciences announces GSK561679 antagonist's efficacy in major depressive disorder

Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. today announced top-line efficacy and safety results from a Phase II clinical trial utilizing Corticotropin Releasing Factor (CRF1) receptor antagonist GSK561679 in patients currently experiencing a major depressive episode.

15 Sep 2010