Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) News and Research

Latest Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) News and Research

Today's OpEds: The challenge of medicare spending; Two views of Massachussets; Regulating premiums

Health reform can be assessed from the perspective of four groups that collectively include most Americans. For those who are now in Medicaid or who are uninsured, reform will be a major gain. For those who obtain health insurance in the individual and small-group markets, reform should bring improvements. For those who have health insurance from midsize- and large-group insurers, reform will bring little change. Finally, for Medicare beneficiaries, reform promises to bring positive change.

23 Jul 2010

MDMA (Ecstasy) holds promise for chronic treatment-resistant PTSD

MDMA (-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, also known as Ecstasy), may one day offer hope for individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), even people for whom other treatments have failed. Clinical trial results out today in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, published by SAGE, suggests that MDMA can be administered to subjects with PTSD without evidence of harm and could offer sufferers a vital window with reduced fear responses where psychotherapy can take effect.

20 Jul 2010

Columbia scientists discover new way to alleviate chronic pain

Columbia scientists working to combat injury-related depression, substance abuse and suicide due to unremitting, persistent pain may have discovered a new way of treating that pain: a powerful analgesic dubbed N60 that leads to neither tolerance nor addiction.

16 Jul 2010

Exposure to 9/11 can impact PTSD, depression levels among children

Two new longitudinal studies show that age played an important role in the effects of the September 11, 2001 (9/11) terrorist attacks on New York City. Both studies appear in a special section on children and disaster in the July/August 2010 issue of the journal Child Development. In the first study, researchers found higher rates of clinically significant behavior problems among preschool children directly exposed to 9/11 in Lower Manhattan according to whether their mothers had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. In the second study, New York City adolescents and their mothers had generally elevated rates of PTSD and depression one year after 9/11. Direct exposure to the events of 9/11 played a small but significant role in explaining the severity of mental health symptoms.

15 Jul 2010

PTSD disability claims for veterans become easier with new VA regulations

While The American Legion welcomed new VA regulations that make it easier for veterans to claim disabilities from post-traumatic stress disorder, it also urged the agency to allow private practitioners to diagnose and treat the condition.

9 Jul 2010

Study finds maltreatment during childhood associated with mental health disorders in young adulthood

Abuse and neglect during childhood appear to be associated with increased rates of mood, anxiety and substance use disorders among young adults, according to a report in the June issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

6 Jul 2010

Dogs help soldiers recover from PTSD

The Army is using dogs "much more" to help soldiers recovering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) according to the Army Surgeon General's special assistant for mental health, Col. Elspeth Cameron Ritchie, M.D., who spoke today at the annual convention of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

3 Jul 2010

Does too much texting puts teenagers at risk?

A seemingly harmless method of communication - text messaging on mobile phones could damage teenagers physically and psychologically a new study has revealed.

1 Jul 2010

CAMFT listed in 2010 Associations Advance America Honor Roll

The California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists has been named to the 2010 Associations Advance America Honor Roll, a national awards competition sponsored by the American Society of Association Executives & The Center for Association Leadership, Washington, D.C.

16 Jun 2010

Combat in Iraq associated with post-deployment PTSD, depression in 8.5 to 14% of soldiers

Between 8.5 percent and 14 percent of soldiers returning from Iraq report serious functional impairment due to either posttraumatic stress disorder or depression, according to a report in the June issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

8 Jun 2010

Older veterans with PTSD more likely to develop dementia: Report

Older veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder appear more likely to develop dementia over a seven-year period than those without PTSD, according to a report in the June issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

8 Jun 2010

Researchers induce memory of safety in brain of rats

Researchers have found a way to pharmacologically induce a memory of safety in the brain of rats, mimicking the effect of training. The finding suggests possibilities for new treatments for individuals suffering from anxiety disorders.

4 Jun 2010

20% of returning war veterans report PTSD or major depression

This past Memorial Day honored those Americans who have died in military service including over 4,000 in Iraq and 1,000 fallen soldiers in Afghanistan. According to the latest Pentagon study, released in April this year, nearly 20 percent—or one in five returning war veterans—reported symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or major depression. The study also reports that approximately half of them sought treatment.

4 Jun 2010

Research finding suggests possibilities for future treatment of anxiety disorders

Researchers at the University of Puerto Rico, School of Medicine have found a way to pharmacologically induce a memory of safety in the brain of rats. As reported in the June, 4 2010 issue of Science, administering brain-derived neurotrophic factor into the prefrontal cortex prevented rats from expressing fear to a tone that had been previously paired with a shock.

4 Jun 2010

Psychiatrists should be included in disaster first-response teams

Psychiatrists should be included in disaster first-response teams because survivors have immediate need for help in alleviating early trauma symptoms ranging from sleeplessness to constant anxiety, says a new study of 9/11 survivors and victims' family members published today in the Journal of Psychiatric Practice.

21 May 2010

Majority of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans experience multi-symptom pain disorders

Dr. Gallagher further noted the VA's pain care challenge is magnified by a 90 percent injury survivor rate from these conflicts compared with only 40 percent in the Vietnam War. VA clinicians are now challenged to manage pain in blast survivors with one or several other consequences of blast, such as head injuries causing mild to severe TBI, physical disfigurement and social stigma, emotional trauma, and often post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

10 May 2010

New techniques to help women make decisions, increase safety during IPV

A new research study to be conducted by Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing associate professor Nancy Glass will help women plan for their personal safety when ending an abusive relationship.

6 May 2010

New study searches for trauma-induced changes in genes of people with PTSD

A study by researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health suggests that traumatic experiences "biologically embed" themselves in select genes, altering their functions and leading to the development of post-traumatic stress disorder.

5 May 2010

PTSD symptoms more common among childhood cancer survivors

Young adult survivors of childhood cancers are four times more likely to develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) than their control group siblings, a Childhood Cancer Survivors Study has found.

4 May 2010

Young adult survivors of childhood cancer more likely to develop PTSD: Study

Young adult survivors of childhood cancers are four times more likely to develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder than their control group siblings, a Childhood Cancer Survivors Study has found.

4 May 2010