http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Post-traumatic stress disorder affects nearly 8 million adults in any given year, federal statistics show. Fortunately, clinical research has identified certain psychological interventions that effectively ameliorate the symptoms of PTSD. But most people struggling with PTSD don't receive those treatments, according to a new report published in Psychological Science in the Public Interest. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-effective-ptsd-therapies-widely.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 11 Apr 2013 15:40:48 EST news284913642 Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have, for the first time, identified a specific group of cells in the brainstem whose activation during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is critical for the regulation of emotional memory processing. The findings, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, could help lead to the development of effective behavioral and pharmacological therapies to treat anxiety disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, phobias and panic attacks. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-reveals-potential-anxiety-disorders.html Neuroscience Tue, 05 Mar 2013 17:00:02 EST news281722254 Because confronting fear won't always make it go away, researchers suggest that people with phobias must alter memory-driven negative attitudes about feared objects or events to achieve a more lasting recovery from what scares them the most. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-persistent-negative-attitude-undo-effectiveness.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 26 Feb 2013 12:36:28 EST news281104581 (Medical Xpress)—The drug scopolamine has been used to treat a variety of conditions, including nausea and motion sickness. A new study by UCLA life scientists suggests that it may also be useful in treating anxiety disorders. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-life-scientists-drug-aid-treatment.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 21 Feb 2013 07:59:32 EST news280655956 Scopolamine is an anticholinergic drug with many uses. For example, it prevents nausea, vomiting, and motion sickness. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-scopolamine-drug-psychiatric-applications.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 12 Feb 2013 11:19:25 EST news279890348 Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a form of learning that begins at the moment of the exposure to extremely stressful situations and that grows in impact as trauma-related memories are rehearsed and strengthened repeatedly. This somewhat oversimplified view of PTSD yields a powerful prediction: if one could disrupt the rehearsal and strengthening of traumatic memories, a process called reconsolidation of memories, then one might reduce PTSD risk or PTSD severity after potentially traumatic events. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-posttraumatic-stress-disorder-trauma-memories.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 27 Nov 2012 09:54:56 EST news273232483 Researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) have identified mechanisms in the brain responsible for regulating cocaine-seeking behavior, providing an avenue for drug development that could greatly reduce the high relapse rate in cocaine addiction. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-memories-trigger-cocaine-relapse.html Neuroscience Wed, 17 Oct 2012 09:41:23 EST news269685673 Exposure therapy for irrational fear of spiders seems to be more effective if it is followed by sleep, according to a recent study in the Journal of Psychiatric Research. The results have implications for treatment of phobias, social anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Psychotherapy for fear, the research suggests, should be coupled with healthy sleep. Our brains seem to use sleep, perhaps REM sleep specifically, to lay down new emotional memories. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-phobias-rest-key-role-anxiety.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 24 Jul 2012 09:45:48 EST news262341862 (Medical Xpress) -- For the first time, a behavioral intervention delivered to patients within hours of a traumatic event appears to be effective at reducing posttraumatic stress reactions (PTSR). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-speedy-intervention-ptsd.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 09 Jul 2012 08:06:39 EST news261039973 Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is among the most common, distressing, and disabling medical consequences of combat or other extremely stressful life events. The first-line treatment for PTSD is exposure therapy, a type of behavioral therapy where patients confront their fears in a safe environment. Although it is an effective treatment, many patients still experience symptoms after treatment and there is a relatively high drop-out rate. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-ptsd-psychotherapy-d-cycloserine.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 04 Jun 2012 13:19:03 EST news258034715 A single brief therapy session for adults with a lifelong debilitating spider phobia resulted in lasting changes to the brain's response to fear. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-people-spider-phobia-tarantulas-brain.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 21 May 2012 15:00:48 EST news256813279 A memory-enhancing drug may improve the speed and effectiveness of prolonged exposure therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients, according to a new pilot study by psychologists at The University of Texas at Austin, the University of Washington and the University of Pennsylvania. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-memory-enhancing-drug-exposure-therapy-ptsd.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 03 Nov 2011 10:50:06 EST news239534094 Prolonged exposure therapy, cognitive therapy, and delayed prolonged exposure therapy, appear to reduce posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in patients who have experienced a recent traumatic event, according to a report published Online First by Archives of General Psychiatry. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-therapies-beneficial-ptsd-symptoms-trauma.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 03 Oct 2011 17:14:36 EST news236880860 Former child soldiers from Northern Uganda who received a short-term trauma-focused intervention had a greater reduction of symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder than soldiers who received other therapy, according to a study in the August 3 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on violence and human rights. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-treatment-intervention-child-soldiers-uganda.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 02 Aug 2011 16:50:01 EST news231521481 New discoveries by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) offer potential for development of a first-ever pharmacological treatment for cocaine addiction. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-treatment-cocaine-addiction.html Medical research Fri, 15 Jul 2011 13:00:37 EST news229953617 (Medical Xpress) -- Anxiety disorders are the most common of all mental health problems, according to the Canadian Mental Health Association. In fact, it's estimated that nearly 29 per cent of the population will experience an anxiety disorder during their lives. For those individuals, the impact of an anxiety disorder can vary tremendously, with some experiencing the same level of impairment as a chronic illness, including cancer, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-emerging-anxiety-treatments-advance-coping.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 15 Jun 2011 09:45:48 EST news227349925 For those soldiers worried about the stigma associated with seeing a therapist, virtual reality applications for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may be the alternative to the traditional "talk therapy." A new paper, by Albert Rizzo from the University of Southern California, Institute for Creative Technologies, Los Angeles, and his team, reviews how virtual reality applications are being designed and implemented across various points in the military deployment cycle, to prevent, identify and treat combat-related PTSD. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-war-games-post-traumatic-stress-disorder.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 16 May 2011 10:51:11 EST news224761861 (PhysOrg.com) -- Combating phobias and psychotic disorders using virtual technology. This is what the work of TU Delft researcher Willem-Paul Brinkman involves. In the latest edition of Delft Outlook, TU Delft?s science magazine, Brinkman shows how this method can provide solutions for such problems as fear of flying and, in the longer term, possibly also for social disorders. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-04-therapy-avatars.html Psychology & Psychiatry Fri, 29 Apr 2011 08:00:01 EST news223282200