PTSD

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychological and physical condition that is caused by very frightening or distressing events. It occurs in up to 30% of people who experience traumatic events.

Our PTSD Blogs

The negative effect of the climate crisis on the mental health of millions of people: projections in the region of South Florida

mohit-kumar-tmdIzj9n7Bg-unsplash

Dafni Katsampa, Francesca Bentivegna and Ivar Maas reflect on a recent study exploring the impact of extreme climate events on mental health of people located in South Florida, USA.

[read the full story...]

Youth trauma narratives: a thematic analysis of meaning-making during trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy (TF-CBT)

Featured

In her debut blog, Georgina Thompson explores a qualitative study of how young people create meaning of their experiences during trauma narration, when receiving trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy.

[read the full story...]

Trauma transmission in the children of trauma-affected refugees: risk and protective factors

levi-meir-clancy-_w9HgjxkUTs-unsplash

Theofanis Kyriacou & Andie Ashdown consider a systematic review of risk and protective factors for trauma transmission among trauma-affected refugees and their non-exposed children.

[read the full story...]

1 in 5 pre-school aged children develop PTSD symptoms following trauma exposure. Why are we still neglecting these children?

Shy boy

In her debut blog, Mira Vasileva summarises a systematic review which suggests that the pooled prevalence of PTSD in pre-school children who have been exposed to trauma was 21.5%.

[read the full story...]

Can brain scans tell us how successful CBT for anxiety will be? Meta-analysis of task-based fMRI studies shows promise

milad-fakurian-58Z17lnVS4U-unsplash

Millie Lowther, Isabel Luetkenherm, Carlos Mena and Alexandra Pike summarise a recent fMRI meta-analysis, which finds that activation in brain circuits related to salience, interoception and emotional processing were found to predict a positive response to CBT in anxiety disorders.

[read the full story...]

Can Tetris help to reduce the intensity and distress of traumatic intrusive memories?

Sometimes life seems like Tetris: it throws at you several, different and unrelated things, and you try to mix and match them, and fit together everything at your best in a seemingly infinite struggle. 
Trying to clear the stage now and then, and maybe get that winning combo, just before everything becomes too overwhelming...

----
Shot on Canon 550D, edit in Lightroom Classic CC.

Tanya Garg blogs a study which finds that visuospatial tasks like playing Tetris, do not reduce the intensity and distress of intrusions after watching a traumatic film.

[read the full story...]

How could MDMA-assisted and psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy help people with depression and PTSD?

emma-miller-1Qr5Lie0Ix0-unsplash

Anya Borissova and Philip Brooks consider a recent review exploring MDMA-assisted psychotherapy and psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy for trauma-related mental health difficulties.

[read the full story...]

Is complex trauma associated with worse outcomes than non-complex trauma?

thought-catalog--v7EOw5SA4I-unsplash

Rudo Dube summarises a longitudinal study which finds that people exposed to complex trauma had higher levels of general psychopathology and were more likely to experience conditions such as PTSD, depression and psychotic symptoms.

[read the full story...]

“We are family, even when apart”: family separation and mental health in refugees

Silhouette of a angry husband turning back while his wife and daughter are looking at him.Angry father turning back on his family

In her debut blog Elizabeth Hall reviews a study focusing on the impact of family separation on mental health outcomes among settled refugees in Australia.

[read the full story...]

Psychotherapeutic approaches and treatment efficacy for comorbid BPD and PTSD

tim-chow-9IcKPSQ9G5Q-unsplash

Natalie Kashirsky summarises a systematic review on optimising treatment for comorbid BPD (borderline personality disorder) and PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).

[read the full story...]