Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

US psychiatry gets makeover in new manual

The latest makeover to a massive psychiatric tome honored by some, reviled by others and even called the "Bible" of mental disorders is being released Saturday with a host of new changes.

Psychology & Psychiatry created 15 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

For combat veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, 'fear circuitry' in the brain never rests

Chronic trauma can inflict lasting damage to brain regions associated with fear and anxiety. Previous imaging studies of people with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, have shown that these brain regions can over-or ...

Neuroscience created May 18, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Individuals who drink heavily and smoke may show 'early aging' of the brain

Treatment for alcohol use disorders works best if the patient actively understands and incorporates the interventions provided in the clinic. Multiple factors can influence both the type and degree of neurocognitive abnormalities ...

Addiction created May 17, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Brain ultrasound improves mood

Non-invasive brain stimulation techniques aimed at mental and neurological conditions include transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) for depression, and transcranial direct current (electrical) stimulation ...

Neuroscience created May 16, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Repeat brain injury raises soldiers' suicide risk, study shows

People in the military who suffer more than one mild traumatic brain injury face a significantly higher risk of suicide, according to research by the National Center for Veterans Studies at the University of Utah.

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 15, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Brain-imaging study links cannabinoid receptors to post-traumatic stress disorder

In a first-of-its-kind effort to illuminate the biochemical impact of trauma, researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center have discovered a connection between the quantity of cannabinoid receptors in the human brain, known ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 14, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

The Lancet Series on bipolar disorder

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Psychology & Psychiatry created May 09, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Study shows that individual brain cells track where we are and how we move

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Neuroscience created May 03, 2013 | popularity 4.7 / 5 (3) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

PTSD research: Distinct gene activity patterns from childhood abuse

Abuse during childhood is different. A study of adult civilians with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) has shown that individuals with a history of childhood abuse have distinct, profound changes in gene activity patterns, ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created May 01, 2013 | popularity 4 / 5 (4) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Nearly half of veterans found with blast concussions might have hormone deficiencies

Up to 20 percent of veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq have experienced at least one blast concussion. New research suggests that nearly half these veterans may have a problem so under-recognized that even military ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created Apr 22, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Intranasal neuropeptide Y may offer therapeutic potential for post-traumatic stress disorder

Stress triggered neuropsychiatric disorders take an enormous personal, social and economic toll on society. In the US more than half of adults are exposed to at least one traumatic event throughout their lives. Post-traumatic ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created Apr 21, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Mindfulness therapy might help veterans with combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder

Mindfulness exercises that include meditation, stretching, and acceptance of thoughts and emotions might help veterans with combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder find relief from their symptoms.

Psychology & Psychiatry created Apr 17, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Helping children make sense of the senseless

(HealthDay)—It's the day after the Boston Marathon bombings and three people are dead, including an 8-year-old boy who came to cheer on friends during the race. The boy's mother and sister are both seriously ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created Apr 17, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 1

PPP meets mental health needs in northern Uganda

A partnership involving the public and private sector successfully addressed the mental health needs of people in the post-conflict regions of northern Uganda and could be used as a model in other post-conflict settings, ...

Psychology & Psychiatry created Apr 16, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Why some stress is good for you? Acute stress primes the brain to do better on memory tasks two weeks later

(Medical Xpress)—Overworked and stressed out? Look on the bright side. Some stress is good for you.

Neuroscience created Apr 16, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (5) | comments 0 | with audio podcast


Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma. This event may involve the threat of death to oneself or to someone else, or to one's own or someone else's physical, sexual, or psychological integrity, overwhelming the individual's ability to cope. As an effect of psychological trauma, PTSD is less frequent and more enduring than the more commonly seen acute stress response. Diagnostic symptoms for PTSD include re-experiencing the original trauma(s) through flashbacks or nightmares, avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma, and increased arousal—such as difficulty falling or staying asleep, anger, and hypervigilance. Formal diagnostic criteria (both DSM-IV-TR and ICD-10) require that the symptoms last more than one month and cause significant impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

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