http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Children suffering post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of traumatic events, including child abuse, may benefit from psychological therapies, according to a review published in The Cochrane Library. In the first systematic review of PTSD in young people, researchers found that children and teenagers diagnosed with PTSD showed signs of improvement up to three months following treatment and called for more studies to assess long-term benefits. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-psychological-therapies-life-children-post-traumatic.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 11 Dec 2012 19:00:03 EST news274465654 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 MRI shows changes in the brains of people with post-concussion syndrome (PCS), according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology. Researchers hope the results point the way to improved detection and treatment for the disorder. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-mri-brain-disruption-patients-post-concussion.html Neuroscience Wed, 21 Nov 2012 00:00:01 EST news272650250 Recent combat veterans who are diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder have significantly smaller volume in an area of the brain critical for regulating fear and anxiety responses, according to research led by scientists at Duke University and the Durham VA Medical Center. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-ptsd-linked-smaller-brain-area.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 05 Nov 2012 16:00:10 EST news271337293 A new ground-breaking study about to be published in the Adis journal CNS Drugs provides clinical evidence that, for the first time, chronic neurological dysfunction from stroke or traumatic brain injury can rapidly improve following a single dose of a drug that targets brain inflammation, even years after the stroke or traumatic event. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-survivors-traumatic-brain-injury.html Medical research Wed, 31 Oct 2012 20:17:21 EST news270933432 A brain pathway that is stimulated by traumatic or fearful experiences can be disrupted by two compounds that show promise for preventing post-traumatic stress disorder, Indiana University researchers reported. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-scientists-compounds-thwart-post-traumatic-stress.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 15 Oct 2012 16:00:14 EST news269513137 Researchers from the University of Exeter Medical School have for the first time identified the mechanism that protects us from developing uncontrollable fear. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-breakthrough-trauma.html Neuroscience Fri, 05 Oct 2012 10:31:09 EST news268651863 (Medical Xpress)—Researchers from King's College London Institute of Psychiatry have analysed, for the first time, how relatives of people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia talk about genes to explain the presence of schizophrenia in the family. The researchers aimed to discover whether 'gene talk' helped alleviate parents' self-blame, especially that of mothers.  http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-schizophrenia-gene-self-blame.html Psychology & Psychiatry Fri, 07 Sep 2012 06:31:17 EST news266218272 Results of a study led by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and the Veterans Affairs (VA) Boston Healthcare System indicate that the proposed changes to the diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) will not substantially affect the number of people who meet criteria for the disorder. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-ptsd-diagnosis-criteria.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 05 Sep 2012 15:35:15 EST news266078100 Amputation disrupts not only the peripheral nervous system but also central structures of the brain. While the brain is able to adapt and compensate for injury in certain conditions, in amputees the traumatic event prevents adaptive cortical changes. A group of scientists reports adaptive plastic changes in an amputee's brain following implantation of multielectrode arrays inside peripheral nerves. Their results are available in the current issue of Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-neural-interface-prosthesis-function-motor.html Neuroscience Mon, 20 Aug 2012 12:59:23 EST news264686306 (Medical Xpress) -- Preschool children exposed to domestic violence and additional traumatic events are at increased risk for developing traumatic stress disorder, a new University of Michigan study shows. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-preschool-children-stress-domestic-violence.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 20 Aug 2012 08:03:05 EST news264668579 (Medical Xpress) -- An exchange of knowledge is possible between the separate identities of people with an disassociative identity disorder (DID). This is apparent from experiments by NWO researcher Rafaele Huntjens from the University of Groningen. Although the patients investigated stated that they remembered nothing of other identities, objective data revealed the contrary. The research results have important implications for the treatment and diagnosis of the disorder. The clinical psychologist published her research on July 18 in the open access journal PLoS ONE. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-patients-disassociative-identity-disorder.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 25 Jul 2012 08:10:01 EST news262421739 (HealthDay) -- As word spread Friday that a heavily armed man had shot up a suburban Denver movie theater crowded with families and children for a midnight showing of the new Batman movie, mental health experts offered guidance on how to cope with the tragedy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-dont-afraid-kids-colorado.html Psychology & Psychiatry Fri, 20 Jul 2012 15:12:26 EST news262015925 Sleep deprivation in the first few hours after exposure to a significantly stressful threat actually reduces the risk of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), according to a study by researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) and Tel Aviv University. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-deprivation-ptsd.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 18 Jul 2012 13:05:44 EST news261835498 (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 The health of a caregiver is the most important predictor of orphan health, according to a new Duke University study that spans five less-wealthy nations in Africa and Asia. More important than an orphan's geographic location, living conditions or past trauma, the Duke study finds that an unhealthy caregiver likely means an unhealthy child. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-caregiver-health-strong-predictor-orphan.html Health Wed, 13 Jun 2012 17:00:10 EST news258811117 (Medical Xpress) -- A team of Swiss and German researchers has found that a certain gene allele can be linked to increased emotional memory retention and because of that appears to be a factor in people who suffer from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The team, as they describe in their paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, conducted emotional memory tests on a large random group of people and then again on a sample of people in a Rwandan refugee camp who had survived atrocities committed during the genocide that occurred there in 1994, and found a common genetic link between emotional memory retention and the likelihood of developing PTSD after experiencing a traumatic event. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-genetic-link-ptsd.html Genetics Tue, 15 May 2012 06:34:30 EST news256282444 U.S. Army researcher Maj. Gary H. Wynn, M.D., shared new analysis on why some Soldiers suffering from combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) never seek care or drop out of treatment early during a presentation today at the American Psychiatric Association's annual meeting. His presentation, "Epidemiology of Combat-Related PTSD in U.S. Service Members: Lessons Learned," also described the approaches the Army is using to address this issue and improve overall patient outcomes. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-army-soldiers-ptsd-strategies-treatment.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 07 May 2012 10:15:54 EST news255604548 Eating disorders can be triggered by lack of support following traumatic events such as bereavement, relationship problems, abuse and sexual assault, according to research published in the May issue of the Journal of Clinical Nursing. Even changing school or moving home can prove too much for some young people and lead to conditions such as anorexia or bulimia. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-family-life-reveals-key-events.html Health Tue, 24 Apr 2012 10:36:26 EST news254482580 Sleep plays a powerful role in preserving our memories. But while recent research shows that wakefulness may cloud memories of negative or traumatic events, a new study has found that wakefulness also degrades positive memories. Sleep, it seems, protects positive memories just as it does negative ones, and that has important implications for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-accentuating-positive-memories.html Neuroscience Mon, 02 Apr 2012 09:20:46 EST news252577222 Greater lifetime exposure to the stress of traumatic events was linked to higher levels of inflammation in a study of almost 1,000 patients with cardiovascular disease led by researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center and the University of California, San Francisco. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-greater-traumatic-stress-linked-elevated.html Cardiology Thu, 29 Mar 2012 15:43:57 EST news252254630 Patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) have a significantly greater prevalence of early adverse life events , including general trauma as well as physical, emotional and sexual abuse, according to a new study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-childhood-traumatic-adult-ibs-symptoms.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 29 Mar 2012 11:31:29 EST news252239483 Dispatchers who answer 911 and 999 emergency calls suffer emotional distress which can lead to symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a new study reports. The research, published in the Journal of Traumatic Stress, reveals that direct exposure to traumatic events is not necessary to lead to post-trauma disorders. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-emergency-dispatchers-symptoms-ptsd-reveals.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 29 Mar 2012 03:59:04 EST news252212319 (Medical Xpress) -- In the largest study of its kind, researchers have found that exposure to war and its effect on mental health are linked to a substantial increase in health care costs which remain high many years after the conflict.   http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-long-term-effect-war-healthcare.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 26 Jan 2012 08:30:01 EST news246787100 A recent study by sleep researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst is the first to suggest that a person's emotional response after witnessing an unsettling picture or traumatic event is greatly reduced if the person stays awake afterward, and that sleep strongly "protects" the negative emotional response. Further, if the unsettling picture is viewed again or a flashback memory occurs, it will be just as upsetting as the first time for those who have slept after viewing compared to those who have not. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-unpleasant-emotional-memories.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:37:36 EST news246044242 (Medical Xpress) -- Police academy recruits who showed the greatest rise in the stress hormone cortisol after waking up in the morning were more likely to show acute stress symptoms in response to trauma years later as police officers, according to a study by researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center, the University of California, San Francisco and New York University Langone Medical Center. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-stress-response-predictor-police-officers.html Psychology & Psychiatry Fri, 09 Dec 2011 03:39:54 EST news242624361 The massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Chile in February 2010 left thousands homeless, caused billions of dollars in damages and triggered a deadly tsunami. The psychological impact of such traumatic events over time is the focus of an ongoing research collaboration between UC Irvine psychologists and Chilean academic and government officials. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-mental-aftershocks.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 30 Nov 2011 08:22:40 EST news241863741 Although police officers are at a high risk of experiencing traumatic events (TE) in their work, they are no more likely than the general population to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These are the findings from the second phase of an original and groundbreaking study published by the Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST) on the risk and protective factors of post-traumatic stress reactions in Quebec police officers. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-post-traumatic-stress-police-officers-previously.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 22 Nov 2011 04:50:01 EST news241157668 Are children suffering needlessly after surgery? UC Irvine anesthesiologists who specialize in pediatric care believe so. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-children-unnecessarily-chronic-postoperative-pain.html Other Thu, 27 Oct 2011 13:31:42 EST news238941095 Teenage survivors of a major earthquake experienced high levels of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with girls and older students being the most severely affected, according to a study published in the November issue of the Journal of Clinical Nursing. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-teenage-girls-senior-students-highest.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 26 Oct 2011 11:02:06 EST news238845717