PTSD Survivors Support Group to meet in Holly

PTSD Survivors Support Group to meet in Holly | MLive.com

 

The purpose of the PTSD Survivors Support Group is to allow survivors or those concerned with PTSD, a place to get good information and support. We meet on the second Tuesday of each month to review literature and discuss topics related to PTSD.

April's topic : PTSD and Childbirth
A discussion and summary of the research regarding PTSD and childbirth will include the New Mothers Speak Out National Survey, highlighting women's postpartum experiences and traumatic birth.

Meeting Place: Villagers Restaurant, 1121 N. Saginaw, Holly
You must RSVP by email ptsdsurvivors@hotmail.com or by calling 810-614-8995.

$15 registration provides refreshment and printed material.

Michele Burcar and Deb Medor-Watson are co-organizers.

 

Childbirth support group

Childbirth support group | Gympie News | Local News in Gympie | Gympie Times

 

31st March 2011

SAFETY, nurturing and bonding in a variety of childbirth situations is the ideal but sometimes it seems something goes amiss.

Betty Smith, a midwife with 40 years’ experience, says while many women welcome and adore their beautiful babies they struggle with unresolved feelings of frustration and anger as a by-product of this life-transforming event.

Ms Smith is initiating a Gympie-based support group focusing on “healing the trauma after pregnancy and birth”.

The midwife says for many women giving birth is the most memorable and empowering event of their lives. For others, who often suffer silently, the experience is nothing short of traumatic.

“For these women,” Ms Smith says, “the experience is certainly memorable but for very different reasons.”

Feelings of feeling physically and emotionally traumatised are not uncommon. And many feel they are the only one to have ever felt like this after having a baby.

What they hear is “you’ve got a lovely baby out of it what are you worrying about?”

Ms Smith says with help, women can work through many of their emotions and anxieties around their birthing experience.

“How women feel about their births is important,” she stressed. “Trauma and pain stemming from giving childbirth can persist for years or even decades if not addressed.

“It’s just now becoming validated. It can even be a post-traumatic stress disorder,” she said.

Women, their partners or support people who feel there are unresolved issues in relation to the birthing experience are invited to come along and join the support network.

Meetings are free and start on Tuesday, May 17, at 7.30pm at the Women’s Health Centre at 21 Alfred St and then the third Tuesday of each month.

For more information ring the health centre on 5483 6588.

 

Trauma survivors from ethnic minorities wanted for PTSD project

Health News - Trauma survivors from ethnic minorities wanted for PTSD project

 

Trauma survivors from non-Western cultures are being invited to take part in a unique research project at the University of East Anglia (UEA).

The researchers are interested in any distressing life events, including physical assault, natural disaster, car accidents, bereavement, and relationship breakdown.

Led by Kate Gough, of the Norwich Medical School at UEA, the project is part of a wider effort to improve care for people recovering from traumatic events.

“We are investigating the theory that people from different cultures hold significantly different beliefs following a trauma,” she said. “Understanding this will help improve NHS care for people from all cultural backgrounds.”

Previous research suggests that the beliefs someone holds about a traumatic experience have a significant impact on their likelihood of developing the debilitating condition, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Understanding and modifying these beliefs can therefore be clinically benefiical.

Current treatment for trauma is based almost entirely on research conducted in Western countries, so it is unkown whether the same approaches can be applied to people from non-Western cultures. The UEA project is important because a significant number of trauma survivors globally are not from the West, and there are almost five million people in the UK who are from non-Western cultures.

Volunteers are asked to complete a confidential online questionnaire, available at www.surveymonkey.com/s/reactions-to-events. For more information, please contact Kate Gough on 07526 437848 or email k.gough@uea.ac.uk.

 

The Institute for Rapid Resolution Therapy Partners with the University of Portland and Manatee Glens for PTSD Research Study

The Institute for Rapid Resolution Therapy Partners with the University of Portland and Manatee Glens for PTSD Research Study - PR.com

Bradenton, FL, March 19, 2011 --(PR.com)-- The Institute for Rapid Resolution Therapy has partnered with the University of Portland and Manatee Glens to conduct a research study to scientifically demonstrate the effectiveness of Rapid Resolution Therapy™ (RRT) for the treatment of trauma patients, specifically those suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The study that begins on February 26 and continues through May 30 will be conducted through Manatee Glens, a non-profit behavioral health hospital and outpatient practice. Participants in the research study can be anyone who has experienced trauma, big or small such as domestic violence, rape, or incest; a car accident, fire, gang fight or military combat; and/or unresolved ongoing grief. These individuals may be experiencing anger, resentment, guilt, shame, nightmares, phobias, and/or panic attacks. Registration is required with Manatee Glens. Manatee Glens screens all candidates prior to the study, where half will be placed with a RRT therapist and half will receive the traditional cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) from Manatee Glens. Participants will receive pro bono services for RRT treatment, provided by either the founder of RRT, Dr. Jon Connelly, or RRT Certified Master Practitioners. The goal for the study is to provide evidence-based-research of the effectiveness of RRT as a treatment modality for trauma. "There is increased recognition in the mental health field of the importance of conducting research within clinical settings, such as outpatient settings, where mental health service actually takes place," says Melinda Paige, Ed.S, LMHC, NCC, a Certified Master Practitioner in RRT. "Since RRT has a 30-year history of anecdotal clinical evidence, the goal of this study to measure these reported decreases in posttraumatic symptoms and document this evidence in the trauma literature." Unlike other approaches to trauma treatment which require the client to experience painful emotions while reliving the trauma, RRT clears the effects of trauma gently and painlessly. RRT is an integrative and holistic approach that completely resolves the psychological and physiological effects of trauma. Candidates interested in applying for participation in the research study may apply in person at the Manatee Glens Walk-In Center located at 371 6th Avenue West in Bradenton or Manatee Glens Access Center at 2020 26th Avenue East in Bradenton. For more information about this study, please contact Research Coordinator Dr. Sharon Richie-Melvan at 352-476-5599. Other members of the research team include Diane Vines, PhD (University of Portland) and Melinda Paige, Ed.S (Georgia State University); with critical guidance from Roger Weed, PhD, and Greg Brack PhD, both from the Georgia State University. Rapid Resolution Therapy™ was developed by Dr. Jon Connelly. He is the author of Life Changing Conversations – The Power of Transformational Communication, which demonstrates that dramatic therapeutic breakthroughs can be facilitated in a single psychotherapy session. With over 30 years of experience working with individuals and training professionals, Dr. Connelly also is the founder of The Institute for Survivors of Sexual Violence, a non-profit (501C3) organization providing mental health professionals with state-of-the-art training in advanced clinical methods of eliminating the negative influence of trauma. You can learn more about him and RRT at www.rapidresolutiontherapy.com or www.cleartrauma.com. Founded as a nonprofit in 1955, Manatee Glens is a state-of-the-art behavioral health institute located in Bradenton, Florida. Through their private hospital and outpatient practice, they provide personalized care to local patients as well as those from across the state and around the country. Manatee Glens helps families in crisis with mental health and addiction services and supports the community through prevention and recovery. For more information about Manatee Glens, please call 941-782-4150 or visit their website at www.manateeglens.org. ###

 

Contact Information

The Institute for Rapid Resolution Therapy Sarah Burnett 800-587-2623 jonconnellypr@gmail.com www.cleartrauma.com For information on the study, please contact Dr. Sharon Richie-Melvan at 352-476-5599

 

Nature Connected Psychiatry Used as Stress Reduction and Prevention Medicine Reduces PTSD Symptoms

Nature Connected Psychiatry Used as Stress Reduction and Prevention Medicine Reduces PTSD Symptoms

 

San Juan Island (MMD Newswire) March 16, 2011 -- An article that focuses on psychiatry and connection has been published in "Missoulian," entitled "Family Health: Connecting With Nature Relieves Stress" The author is Psychiatrist Phillip Holman MD / CPG Medical Director of Psychiatric Services at Boozeman General Hospital.

Dr. Holman offers a few strategies that, in his professional and personal experiences, appear to be useful stress relieving tools. They have produced successful results for his patients, as well as himself.

Citing Dr. Larry Dossey, author of "Reinventing Medicine," Dr. Holman uses the stress management activities in natural areas that have been developed by Dr. Michael Cohen's Project NatureConnect at Akamai University. Cohen has demonstrated these activities to be an important application of ecopsychology, one that genuinely connects us with the often the ignored source of spirit and wellness found in nature.

Cohen says Dr. Holman's findings are important because excessive stress is the leading cause of most illness and disorders that we suffer. "In addition," Cohen notes, "Nature is an often overlooked but significant healer. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) victims recover by connecting in nature to "something larger than themselves."

A description of Dr. Holman's article accompanied by a link to it along with many examples that further Dr. Holman's findings has been placed on the Internet.

In his book, Educating Counseling and Healing with Nature, Cohen links to many studies that show how our excessively nature-separated lives, make our inner nature feel unfulfilled, stressed and lackluster. This loss causes us to crave natural sensations or depend upon artificial, excessive and often irresponsible substitutes for them.

Cohen demonstrates that backyard or backcountry, doing sensory nature-reconnecting activities helps us let Earth balance us and teach us missing essentials that we need for eliminating destructive stress."

"Stress can more effectively be reduced by adding educating, counseling and healing with nature activities to stress treatment procedures depending upon the individual and the type of stressfulness or pressures an individual is encountering" says Dr. Cohen. Some of his students have added them to mindfulness, meditation and yoga, when practiced together or separately. This practice is thought to create better awareness of the connection between the unity of the mind and body. Nature connection activities strengthen the connection as they help an individual include the powers of the natural world, their other body, in it.

The addition of nature's healing ways helps us be conscious of our mind, feelings and spirit while they are beneficially interlaced with the self-correcting and restorative powers of nature's flow, in and around us.

The pioneering mission of Project NatureConnect is to enable our thoughts and feelings to tap into nature's renewing natural attraction "love" that flows in, around and through us. The online program's subsidized, UNESCO approved, training courses and degrees help us activate 53 natural senses that we inherit so we can make conscious contact with the life-nurturing attraction energy of the eons found in natural areas, backyard or backcountry.

The Internet addresses of the newly released web pages are

http://www.ecopsych.com/stress.html

For further information visit http://www.ecopsych.com

Contacts:

Dr. Michael Cohen 360-378-6313, email .

Barbara Huning MA LP at 507-452-0200, email .

###

Institute Founder and Director:

Recipient of the 1994 Distinguished World Citizen Award, Ecopsychologist Michael J. Cohen, Ph.D., is a Program Director of the Institute of Global Education, where he coordinates its Integrated Ecology Department and Project NatureConnect. He also serves on the Ecopsychology faculty of Portland State University and Akamai University. Dr. Cohen has founded sensory environmental education outdoor programs independently and for the National Audubon Society and Lesley University (AEI). He conceived the 1985 National Audubon Conference "Is the Earth a Living Organism," and is an award winning author of "Educating, Counseling and Healing With Nature," "The Web Of Life Imperative"and "Reconnecting With Nature." A video about his lifework may be viewed at http://www.imdb.comtitle/tt1357054

Copyright(C) 2009 Mass Media Distribution LLC: Press Release News Wire. Press Release Distribution Rights Reserved.

Mass Media Distribution LLC - 3350 Riverwood Pkwy Suite 1900 - Atlanta, Georgia 30339

 

Kent News :: Article :: Grieving mum Marisa Sanders warned others of fatal threat of birth trauma

Kent News :: Article :: Grieving mum Marisa Sanders warned others of fatal threat of birth trauma A grieving mother, whose newborn baby died following a string of hospital blunders, is calling on the NHS to learn from past mistakes. Marisa Sanders, 34, from Bromley, is suing the Princess Royal University Hospital in Farnborough Common, Orpington, after she was left in a triage room for more than three hours, despite obvious signs she was in labour. The shocking state of affairs resulted in the death of tiny Thomas Arben Deliu, who was born without a heartbeat on August 17, 2007. Ms Sanders shared her tragic story to help promote National Birth Trauma Awareness Week, which ends on Sunday, April 10. She said: "To this day, the overwhelming feeling of loss and grief at losing Thomas is indescribable. "Being left isolated from medical staff and ignored during labour should never happen to a woman." Ms Sanders had been booked in for a Caesarean section, but her waters had broken on arrival at the hospital and there were other distinct signs she was going into labour. Despite all the evidence, she was dumped in a triage room for more than three hours and even refused pain relief by a midwife. Ms Sanders said: "Only parents and their family members who have been through the utter devastation of losing a child can begin to understand the grief process. "That’s why spreading the word about the Birth Trauma Association and the contact it can offer with other families who’ve been through the same heartbreak is so important." At the time of the tragedy, the Princess Royal hospital was managed by Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust, which has since merged with two others to form South London Healthcare NHS Trust. The authority has admitted liability after a full investigation pointed to negligence on the part of the original trust. Medical expert Auriana Griffiths, of Irwin Mitchell solicitors, said: "Traumatic births are sadly far more common than people think, and both our own medical law teams and the Birth Trauma Association deal with many cases. "We are calling on the NHS and medical professionals to work together to learn lessons and share best practice so the number of birth traumas can be reduced." POSTED: 10/04/2011 18:00:00

2011 Voices of Birth Conference

2011 Voices of Birth Conference (TWR00114)

The very first Voices of Birth Conference will be held in Dublin (Columbus) Ohio in May 2011!

 

You will experience some of the wisdom of the birth community.  Included in this conference will be the voices of Barbara Harper, director of Waterbirth International; Dr. Cynthia Gabriel author of The Best of Both Worlds: Natural Hospital Birth; Dr. Patrick Muffley plus April Kline MSM, on postpartum depression!

 

You also have your choice of preconference workshops: Waterbirth Credentialing with Barbara Harper, and Early Lactation Care Specialist Workshop with Donna Walls RN, IBCLC!

 

All offerings carry nursing contact hours!  Register today! Early Bird Registration NOW until April 15!

 

Exhibitors!  Space is limited.  Click here to register today!

--
Jodi Kluchar

www.ptsdafterchildbirth.org

Global Mental Health: Trauma and Recoveries

Global Mental Health: Trauma and Recoveries

The Certificate Program provides training for health care practitioners,
humanitarian relief workers and policy planners addressing the health and mental
health sequelae of trauma.;
Organized by the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma and Instituto Superiore di
Sanita in Orvieto, Italy. Application deadline is the 1st of July 2011. For more
information. Click here http://hprt-cambridge.org/?page_id=31!

Please circulate to all your networks!
Encourage others to sign up!
Follow us on ......
Follow the Movement on Twitter! Our profile is available at @MGMentalHealth
Check out our Face-book-page and invite your friends to join!
Register to Attend the Second GMH Summit
Registration for the Second Summit of the Movement is now open. Click here for
more information.
This second Summit promises to be an exciting event, with sessions on scaling up
for mental health, human rights and advocacy, the launch of the second Lancet
series on mental health and discussions on the way forward for the Movement.
We hope to see you there!
Upcoming Conferences
3rd International Congress on ADHD, Berlin, Germany, 26-29 May 2011

12th European Conference on Traumatic Stress, Vienna, Austria, 2-5 June 2011

Fifth International Congress of the Asian Society Against Dementia, Hong Kong,
China, 5-6 November 2011  

Any comments or suggestions? Please mail submissions@globalmentalhealth.org

--
Jodi Kluchar

www.ptsdafterchildbirth.org

Post-Partum Depression Test Free By Phone

*Post-Partum Depression Test Free By Phone*

*UPI *

March 21, 2011

A U.S. insurance company for doctors of obstetrics and gynecology is
offering a free post-partum depression test by phone, insurance company
officials say.

The free test, available to any U.S. new mother through her doctor, is
conducted over the telephone and sends a report on a patient's session to
her physician's office. The test evaluates the patient's condition, and
involves the doctor in taking action for the patient, officials of
Obstetricians & Gynecologists RRG of America Inc. say.

Patients can sign up their doctors, and doctors then assign the test via the
Web site: www.freeppdtest.com.

Doctors are allowed an unlimited number of free tests for their
post-delivery patients and no advertisements are included on the Web site,
company officials say.

Some states, such as New Jersey, require post-partum depression tests, but
most doctors encourage all women to have a post-partum depression test 6-18
weeks after delivery.

Post-partum depression affects about one in nine or 10 women following
delivery. Symptoms include trouble sleeping, feeling disconnected from the
baby, having scary or negative thoughts about the baby, or worrying about
seriously hurting the baby, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
says.

--
Jodi Kluchar

www.ptsdafterchildbirth.org

'Epidural Without Guilt' Doctor Responds to Criticism

'Epidural Without Guilt' Doctor Responds to Criticism | The Stir

...Unless you read the scientific journals on this subject, chances are you would never come across it -- because it is seldom, if ever discussed. When’s the last time someone’s childbirth education instructor told the class that if you have a traumatic delivery in which you suffer excruciating pain and have no control over the process, you’re more likely to develop PTSD? The fact is that a state-of-the-art “walking epidural” can provide complete pain relief throughout labor and delivery, and with patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA), you can control how much or how little pain medication is given into your epidural...

Could Alpha-Stim Technology Help to Treat Insomnia and Other Ailments?

Could Alpha-Stim Technology Help to Treat Insomnia and Other Ailments?

Online PR News – 08-March-2011 –Mineral Wells, Texas, February 11th, 2011 – For those suffering from pain, anxiety, depression or post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), there is a new treatment that has been approved by the FDA and the DOD/VA. The treatment is called Alpha-Stim cranial electrotherapy stimulation (CES). The new treatment is delivered using a pocket sized electronic device that uses ear clip electrodes to deliver a low level current in a precise waveform configuration of less than one milliampere directly into the brain for 20 to 60 minutes at a time. This technology offers a newer, cheaper and less invasive way to treat many people who up until now were unable to find the necessary help...

Can We Compare Birth Days to Wedding Days?

Can We Compare Birth Days to Wedding Days? | Being Pregnant

 

You would never hear someone say to a bride who had her wedding completely ruined… Well, at least you have a healthy marriage… Right?   I mean, I have seen situations where there were car accidents, hospital visits, or God forbid rain on a wedding day… and not once would someone have the audacity to say something like that… I am kind of guessing that kind of comment would end up as fighting words.

But in the case where a mother has a scary, or emergency delivery… even when medically necessary… the first comment a lot of people come out with is… at least you have a healthy baby! Like it is come kind of consolation prize for a bad experience.

Today in childbirth we are learning that many common practices can cause complications in birth. While all do not believe this necessarily certain studies over time have shown examples. Such as labor induction increasing the risk for fetal distress and a cesarean delivery.  Below is one of my favorite examples of what can happen...

 

Natural birth experts told to push off

Natural birth experts told to push off - Birth - IOL | Breaking News | South Africa News | World News | Sport | Business | Entertainment | IOL.co.za

 

London - Kirstie Allsopp has made a scathing attack on natural childbirth experts, accusing them of stigmatising women who have Caesareans.

The TV presenter, whose two sons were delivered by the procedure, claimed that she and thousands of other mothers were being made to feel a “failure”.

She criticised the National Childbirth Trust for being “reckless” in not providing enough information about C-sections in its antenatal classes, which are attended by 100,000 couples every year.

Miss Allsopp said that while pregnant she had even been advised by some natural birth advocates to “ignore” doctors’ advice and try to give birth without medical intervention.

Figures show that more than a quarter of all babies are now delivered by Caesarean, up from just 9 percent 30 years ago. The rates are far higher in more affluent areas of the country, including parts of London and the South-East - which natural birth advocates claim supports the notion that some women are now “too posh to push”...

 

10 Common Misconceptions about PTSD

10 Common Misconceptions about PTSD - X-Ray Technician Schools

Commonly associated with soldiers who’ve experienced unthinkable tragedies while at war, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can disrupt the lives of various people from various backgrounds. According to America’s Heroes at Work, a site from the U.S. Department of Labor, it afflicts 24 million people nationwide, eight percent of the population. PTSD can be acquired after enduring any kind of traumatic event, including war, physical abuse, a natural disaster or bad accident, and can result in symptoms such as flashbacks, nightmares, angry outbursts and depression. Because it’s a mental health disorder, PTSD isn’t fully understood by people with little experience dealing with it. The following common misconceptions have been disproven by mental health professionals and those who live with the disorder...

The History of PTSD

Sri Lanka Guardian: The History of PTSD

 

by Dr Ruwan M Jayatunge M.D.

(March 03, Ontario, Sri Lanka Guardian) PTSD is a relatively newly defined disorder with an old history and historical medical literature reveal clinical symptoms similar to post traumatic stress disorder dating back to the Egyptian civilization. In 1900 BC, an Egyptian physician eloquently described hysterical reactions of a patient after traumatic experience. These reports became one of the first medical textbooks ever when published in 1990 B.C. (Figley, C.R., 1993)....

 

Study Limitations in Report of Suicidal Behavior Among Women With Co-occurring PTSD and Borderline Personality Disorder

Study Limitations in Report of Suicidal Behavior Among Women With Co-occurring PTSD and Borderline Personality Disorder -- Nepon et al. 168 (3): 328 -- Am J Psychiatry

Josh Nepon, M.D., Jina Pagura, M.A., and Jitender Sareen, M.D.

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

TO THE EDITOR: In the October 2010 issue of the Journal, Melanie S. Harned, Ph.D., et al. (1) reported on an important study examining the relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and borderline personality disorder. This is an important area of inquiry, and the authors have done an admirable job in comprehensively assessing their sample. However, the study has several limitations, and the conclusions are not consistent with recent studies that were not cited.

As stated by Harned et al. (1) themselves, we want to underscore the fact that the small size and select nature of their study (94 women) make it difficult to draw conclusions. They conducted numerous comparisons across variables without any adjustment for multiple comparisons. Furthermore, they have not cited recent large epidemiologic studies examining the association between PTSD, borderline personality disorder, and suicide attempts (2–4).

Harned and colleagues' conclusion that frequency, intent, and lethality of suicide attempts are the same for individuals with borderline personality disorder with and without PTSD is inconsistent with recent work. Cougle et al. (2), using the U.S. National Comorbidity Survey Replication data (N=5,692), demonstrated that PTSD is associated with suicide attempts, even after adjusting for the effects of borderline personality disorder. We extended these findings using the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (N=34,653), by showing that PTSD is associated with suicide attempts after adjustment for all sociodemographic factors and axis II disorders (3). Pagura et al. (4) were the first to examine comorbidity of PTSD and borderline personality disorder in a large nationally representative sample by comparing individuals with PTSD alone (N=1,820), borderline personality disorder alone (N=1290), and comorbid PTSD and borderline personality disorder (N=643). This study found that individuals with comorbid PTSD and borderline personality disorder had greater odds of lifetime suicide attempt compared to individuals with either condition alone (4).

We have shown that individuals with co-occurring PTSD and borderline personality disorder have higher odds of having a suicide attempt than either disorder alone (3, 4). These findings are in contrast to the findings of Harned and colleagues' study (1). We believe the discrepancy between the epidemiologic studies and the Harned et al. study is due to the differences in sample size. We note that epidemiologic studies cited above are limited by lack of assessment of lethality of suicide attempts, a strength of Harned and colleagues' study. We suggest that future clinical studies need to gather a larger sample and include a comparison group of women with PTSD.

Footnotes

The authors report no financial relationships with commercial interests.

This letter was accepted for publication in December 2010.

 

Speakers at PHCC event discuss PTSD awareness, treatment

Speakers at PHCC event discuss PTSD awareness, treatment - St. Petersburg Times

 

BROOKSVILLE — It's not just battle-worn soldiers who come home with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Just ask Michele Rosenthal. She suffered an allergic reaction to a medication at age 13 that left her entire body blistered like a burn victim. But it was the damage to her psyche that took the longest to heal.

"Fear is an emotion all of us have," said Rosenthal, 43. "It's hard to get over it. You've got to unravel it."

Now, she is taking that message on the road as a PTSD survivor and author. Speaking last week at a symposium at Pasco-Hernando Community College, she said PTSD awareness is critical to helping both individuals and their families recover from traumatic experiences.

"Nobody heals in isolation," Rosenthal said. "We heal in a community."

Studies estimate that up to 70 percent of adults in the United States will go through a traumatic event in their lifetime, and up to 20 percent will struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder. In addition, up to 40 percent of the military returning from Afghanistan or Iraq suffer from PTSD, Rosenthal said....

 

Which symptoms of PTSD do the most damage?

Which symptoms of PTSD do the most damage?

 

PTSD sufferers would give up an average of 13 years of life to be without the disorder -- but may not realize that some symptoms don't affect happiness

In the case of post-traumatic stress disorder, not all symptoms are created equal.

In an effort to better treat PTSD, a study published March 1 in the journal Psychiatric Services is the first to examine which problems associated with PTSD actually correspond to lower quality of life, as indicated by the patient's willingness to die sooner or to risk life-threatening treatment to relieve their symptoms.

PTSD is more costly than any other anxiety disorder. As many as 300,000 veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan currently have PTSD, with costs for their care estimated at $4 to $6.2 billion over the next two years.

"To our knowledge, this is the first study to ask actual patients with PTSD about their health preferences," said lead author Jason Doctor, associate professor of Pharmaceutical Economics and Policy at the USC School of Pharmacy. "These findings identify targets for treatment that may improve quality of life among people with PTSD."

The researchers found that, of four major symptoms associated with PTSD, not all were associated with a patient's immediate quality of life, even though those who sought treatment for PTSD expressed significant overall declines in mental health.

Distressing recollections of a traumatic event and avoidance of certain activities and thoughts – both commonly conceived of as dysfunctional behaviors – had little correlation to a patient's reported sense of well-being, according to the study.

However, symptoms tied to heightened arousal – such as trouble sleeping, irritability and vigilance – were associated with lower quality of life among PTSD patients. Anxiety and depression were also associated with lower quality of life.

"We conjecture that although avoidance is an important aspect of PTSD, its effect on quality of life may be limited because it is a coping strategy. Avoidance may be a dysfunction that improves, in the short term, subjective well-being," explained Doctor, who is on the research faculty of the Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics at USC.

The researchers found that, on average, a patient with PTSD was willing to give up 13.6 years of his or her life to live unburdened by the symptoms of the disorder.

On average, those with PTSD were willing to accept a treatment with up to a 13 percent chance of immediate death in order to achieve total relief of PTSD symptoms.

Lori Zoellner of the University of Washington, Seattle, and Norah Feeny of Case Western Reserve University were co-authors of the study.

The researchers interviewed 184 persons seeking treatment for PTSD at two treatment sites in different regions of the United States. The research was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health.

 

###

 

For a full-text copy of the paper or to arrange an interview, contact Suzanne Wu at suzanne.wu@usc.edu.

Doctor et. al, "Predictors of Health-Related Quality-of-Life Utilities Among Persons With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder." Psychiatric Services: March 2011.

 

 

PTSD’s stronghold can have debilitating affect - Beacon News

PTSD’s stronghold can have debilitating affect - Beacon News

Steve built his adult life on the foundation of a childhood trauma.

He and his brother suffered through years of physical violence and emotional abuse at the hands of an alcoholic father.

“He had no emotional connection but anger,” Steve said of his dad. “He had no idea how to relate to kids.”

His father was an engineer, and was a very smart man, Steve said. So when Steve came home with bad grades, his father called him stupid. He would not hesitate to beat him for this, and other reasons.

While the abuse has long passed, the effects lingered on through his life. Steve, who lives in Geneva and asked that his name be changed for this story, suffers from post traumatic stress disorder. He is 67 years old now, and while he has confronted his past through therapy, as recently as last summer he’s experienced recurring bouts of anger stemming from his PTSD.

The anger manifested itself as road rage, he said. The people in his everyday life would comment about how calm he always seemed to be, and never noticed anything — but if a car cut him off on the road, he felt himself grow unnecessarily and uncontrollably angry....

Brain-Imaging in Depressed Moms Shows Blunted Response to Crying Infant

Brain-Imaging in Depressed Moms Shows Blunted Response to Crying Infant: MedlinePlus

 

SATURDAY, Feb. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Armed with brain scans, researchers have discovered bawling babies trigger a far more muted response in the brains of depressed mothers than in mothers who aren't depressed.

Contrary to a previous theory, "it looks as though depressed mothers are not responding in a more negative way than non-depressed mothers. What we saw was really more of a lack of responding in a positive way," said study lead author Heidemarie K. Laurent in a news release from the University of Oregon.

Laurent is an assistant professor at the University of Wyoming, but she worked on the study as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oregon.

The study, which appears online in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, is the first to examine how the brains of depressed women responded to the crying of babies.

In total, the researchers studied the brains of 22 women using functional magnetic resonance imaging, which measures brain activity through blood flow changes. The women were all first-time mothers with 18-month-old babies.

When the babies cried, the brains of the mothers who weren't depressed lit up in the areas connected to reward and motivation. "In this context, it was interesting to see that the non-depressed mothers were able to respond to this cry sound as a positive cue," Laurent said. "Their response was consistent with wanting to approach their infants. Depressed mothers were really lacking in that response. "

The key message from the study, the researchers noted, was that depression can have a long-lasting impact on mother-infant relationships by dampening the brain's response to a baby's emotional cues.

According to Laurent, the research -- and the levels of activity in the brain -- suggests the challenges of treating depression in mothers. "Some of these prefrontal problems may be changed more easily by addressing current symptoms," Laurent said in the release, "but there may be deeper, longer-lasting deficits at the motivational levels of the brain that will take more time to overcome."

SOURCE: University of Oregon, press release, Feb. 22, 2011.

HealthDay

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