PTSD
Why Is There a Stigma Associated with Mental Health?
The World Health Organization defines mental health as "a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his/her abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and can make a contribution to his/her community." Healthy functionality for less than perfect people is what it boils down to.
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Coping with Thinking Errors: Relapse Prevention Planning for PTSD and Substance Abuse
Trauma symptoms (PTSD) and substance problems often go hand in hand for many people and constitute a dual diagnosis or co-occurring treatment and recovery need. Symptoms of PTSD and of Substance Disorders occur in thoughts, feelings, nightmares, physiological symptoms, behaviors and sensory perceptions. People in recovery from Substance Disorders and co-occurring trauma can have an increase in PTSD symptoms at various stages of addiction recovery.
EMDR and PTSD
A recent clinical trial found that, six months after treatment, patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression who had received eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) had fewer symptoms than patients treated with Prozac.
When undergoing EMDR, the patient is usually asked to focus on the clinician’s finger or blinking lights for several minutes while, at the same time, remembering the events that are causing problems in everyday life. Occasionally, practitioners will instead play tones or apply electrical stimulation to the hands. EMDR is a type of treatment that can be administered by counselors and other non-physician mental health professionals.
High Rates of Substance Abuse Among Veterans with Mental Health Disorders
Previous studies have found high rates of substance abuse among U.S. veterans, and a new study finds the same among U.S. veterans with mental health disorders. The study, led by Dr. Ismene Petrakis of the Yale University School of Medicine, could be helpful in understanding the needs of veterans of different eras, and in targeting treatment programs.
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Victims of Childhood Sexual Abuse Who Blame Themselves or Others for Abuse More Likely to Develop PTSD
A new study from the University of Granada has found that victims of child abuse who blame themselves and their families for what happened to them are more likely to experience post-traumatic stress disorder. The study, which examined 160 university students who had been sexually abused as children, also showed that individuals who blame themselves or their family members for being sexually abused are more likely to avoid facing their problems.
Vets with PTSD Have More Physical Ailments, Especially Females
Soldiers returning home from the Afghanistan and Iraq wars who are newly diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are affected by their medical conditions more than previously thought, according to a new study.
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Anger and Trauma
Victims of trauma experience severe violations of personal boundaries. Consequently, persistent anger and anger management problems are common characteristics of individuals who have experienced traumatic events. This is true for survivors of abuse as well as for survivors of other types of adverse incidents. If loss occurs, anger as a stage of grieving is a common response as well.
Veterans with PTSD at Greater Risk of Dementia
This year, the U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) and other federal health agencies have reported of evidenced-based research demonstrating a common link between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among veterans and later-life dementia. With 6–11% of Afghanistan veterans and 12–20% of Iraq veterans returning to the U.S. with PTSD, the VA has been investigating these individuals’ additional risks of mental problems based on the mental health of their predecessors.
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Trauma’s Effects on the Brain: Notes from a Presentation by Dr. Linda Chamberlain
When a wolf catches her foot in a trap, she experiences trauma. If she is able to get free in time to save her life, whether through her own devices or help from another being, she will have learned about the dangers of traps. But her brain will also have absorbed a pattern of responding to severe stress; and the experience may sear her memory with a track composed of hormones cascading into physiological response to fear and pain. This shortcut to high stress response may affect her behavior in other ways. Of course, if she is not freed from the trap in time, she will die. But the unmitigated stress response itself can become a negative adaptation, and cause the wolf version of post traumatic stress disorder. She experiences the fear of being caught in the trap over and over again, when even minor events trigger the response pattern of high levels of physiological fight or flight reactions that the brain has learned from the traumatic event.
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How to Help a Loved One Overcome Trauma
Traumatic events occur every day to untold numbers of people. But no matter how widespread the trauma, what it comes right down to is how trauma affects the individual. Trauma could be the result of a natural disaster, terrorism, mass violence, or it could be closer to home and involve domestic violence or sexual abuse, the loss of a job or economic stability. Sometimes it’s difficult to know where to start to help a loved one overcome trauma and resume a normal life, but there are some basic things that you can do.
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