Tribulin in post-traumatic stress disorder

Tribulin (endogenous monoamine oxidase inhibitor/benzodiazepine receptor binding inhibitor) output was measured in the urine of 18 patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and 13 controls. The level of the two inhibitory activities was highly significantly correlated in the group as a whole. There was no difference between output of either inhibitor in patients and controls. However, when the PTSD group was subdivided according to various psychometric ratings, a pattern of output did emerge. Levels of both inhibitory activities were higher in agitated compared with non-agitated subjects, and lower in extroverts compared with introverts. This finding supports the view that tribulin output is raised in conditions of greater arousal.     

A meta-analysis of risk factors for post-traumatic stress disorder in children and adolescents

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a complex and chronic disorder that causes substantial distress and interferes with social and educational functioning. Consequently, identifying the risk factors that make a child more likely to experience traumatic distress is of academic, clinical and social importance. This meta-analysis estimated the population effect sizes of 25 potential risk factors for PTSD in children and adolescents aged 6-18 years across 64 studies (N=32,238). Medium to large effect sizes were shown for many factors relating to subjective experience of the event and post-trauma variables (low social support, peri-trauma fear, perceived life threat, social withdrawal, comorbid psychological problem, poor family functioning, distraction, PTSD at time 1, and thought suppression); whereas pre-trauma variables and more objective measures of the assumed severity of the event generated small to medium effect sizes. This indicates that subjective peri-trauma factors and post-event factors are likely to have a major role in determining whether a child develops PTSD following exposure to a traumatic event. Such factors could potentially be assessed following a potentially traumatic event in order to screen for those most vulnerable to developing PTSD and target treatment efforts accordingly. The findings support the cognitive model of PTSD as a way of understanding its development and guiding interventions to reduce symptoms.     

Recurrent herpes and post-traumatic stress disorder

A 33-year-old male presented with recurrent outbreaks of perioral herpes of disfiguring nature that remained unresolved following therapy. The first perioral outbreak occurred following a road accident. The psychiatric interview conducted with the patient suggested post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) secondary to the accident. Venlafaxine 50 mg/day was initiated and led to resolution of the PTSD symptoms within 8 weeks. The patient did not experience any further herpes outbreaks for about 10 months. Control of stress disorders in recurrent herpes is discussed from a therapeutic perspective.     

Treatment length in post-traumatic stress disorder

The objective of this retrospective study was to examine patterns of treatment length for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and to define the comparative characteristics of short-term patients (treatment successful within three months—group A) and long-term patients (in treatment for 12 or more months—group D). All had received medication and psychotherapy. For the 13 group A and the 15 group D patients there were no significant differences in type of stressor, reported symptom distress, possible financial compensation factors, length of time from trauma to intervention, and various demographic features. Group D patients required significantly (P = .001) higher daily dosages of a tricyclic. Implications of these findings are discussed.     

Generalization of fear in post-traumatic stress disorder

Overgeneralization (i.e., the transfer of fear to stimuli not related to an aversive event) is part of alterations in associative fear learning in mental disorders. In the present experimental study, we investigated whether this holds true for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) related to childhood abuse. We expected that fear generalization under experimental conditions reflects generalization of aversive stimuli to different social domains in real life. Sixty-four women with PTSD after childhood abuse and 30 healthy participants (HC) underwent a differential fear conditioning and generalization paradigm. Online risk ratings, reaction time, and fear-potentiated startle served as dependent variables. Based on the subjectively assessed generalization of triggered intrusions across different domains of life, PTSD participants were split into two groups reporting low (low-GEN) and high (high-GEN) generalization. PTSD patients reported a higher expectation of an aversive event. During fear conditioning, they assessed the risk of danger related to a safety cue slower and showed a blunted fear-potentiated startle toward the danger cue. During generalization testing, reaction time increased in the high-GEN patients and decreased in the HC group with increasing similarity of a stimulus with the conditioned safety cue. Alterations of fear learning in PTSD suggest impaired defensive responses in case of a high threat probability. Moreover, our findings bridge the gap between the generalization of aversive cues during everyday life and laboratory-based experimental parameters: impairments in the processing of cues signaling safety generalize particularly in those patients who report a spreading of PTSD symptoms across different domains of everyday life.     

Risk factors for post-traumatic stress disorder among UK Armed Forces personnel

BACKGROUND: There is considerable interest in understanding further the factors that increase the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for military personnel. This study aimed to investigate the relative contribution of demographic variables; childhood adversity; the nature of exposure to traumatic events during deployment; appraisal of these experiences; and home-coming experiences in relation to the prevalence of PTSD 'caseness' as measured by a score of 50 on the PTSD Checklist (PCL) in UK Armed Forces personnel who have been deployed in Iraq since 2003.METHOD: Data were drawn from the first stage of a retrospective cohort study comparing UK military personnel who were deployed to the 2003 Iraq War with personnel serving in the UK Armed Forces on 31 March 2003 but who were not deployed to the initial phase of war fighting. Participants were randomly selected and invited to participate. The response rate was 61%. We have limited these analyses to 4762 regular service individuals who responded to the survey and who have been deployed in Iraq since 2003. RESULTS: Post-traumatic stress symptoms were associated with lower rank, being unmarried, having low educational attainment and a history of childhood adversity. Exposure to potentially traumatizing events, in particular being deployed to a 'forward' area in close contact with the enemy, was associated with post-traumatic stress symptoms. Appraisals of the experience as involving threat to one's own life and a perception that work in theatre was above an individual's trade and experience were strongly associated with post-traumatic stress symptoms. Low morale and poor social support within the unit and non-receipt of a home-coming brief (psycho-education) were associated with greater risk of post-traumatic stress symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Personal appraisal of threat to life during the trauma emerged as the most important predictor of post-traumatic stress symptoms. These results also raise the possibility that there are important modifiable occupational factors such as unit morale, leadership, preparing combatants for their role in theatre which may influence an individual's risk of post-traumatic stress symptoms. Therefore interventions focused on systematic preparation of personnel for the extreme stress of combat may help to lessen the psychological impact of deployment.     

地震受灾人群创伤后应激障碍危险因素的病例对照研究

目的:探讨地震3年后受灾人群中创伤后应激障碍(PTSD))的危险因素。方法:采用病例对照研究的方法,分析地震3年后云南省鲁甸县龙头山镇重灾区受灾群众155人的调查资料,以PTSD筛查阳性人群为病例组,阴性人群为对照组,对自编人口学基本信息调查表、创伤后应激障碍自评量表(PCL-C)的问卷数据进行单因素分析,采用非条件logistic回归分析探讨年龄、性别等人口学资料及灾难暴露程度、参与现场救援、地震中失去亲人与否等对创伤后应激障碍的影响。结果:病例组与对照组单因素分析比较显示,性别(χ²=4.65,P<0.05)、受教育程度(χ²=9.63,P<0.01)、灾难暴露程度(χ²=7.15,P<0.01)有统计学意义。非条件logistic回归分析显示女性(OR=4.89,P<0.01)、非文盲(OR=6.30,P<0.01)、高暴露者(OR=17.44,P<0.05)是发生PTSD的危险因素。结论:地震三年后重灾区受灾人群中女性、非文盲、高暴露者发生PTSD的危险性大,提示应当重点对这类...     

骨科手术相关创伤后应激障碍的发生及高危因素分析

文题释义：创伤后应激障碍：是指个体经历、目睹或遭遇到一个或多个涉及自身或他人的实际死亡,或受到死亡的威胁,或严重的受伤,或躯体完整性受到威胁后,所导致的个体延迟出现和持续存在的精神障碍。 高危因素：是指能够显著增加疾病或死亡发生的可能性的因素,是指疾病的发生与该因素有一定的因果关系,但是尚无可靠的证据能够证明该因素的致病效应,但是当消除该因素时,疾病的发生概率也随之下降。 背景：近年来,随着骨科手术技术的不断进步,手术数量迅速增加,患者的术后康复问题也愈发受到关注。创伤后应激障碍作为骨科术后常见的精神障碍,其发生与患者的人口统计学特征、社会心理因素、创伤特点、既往精神状况以及围术期心血管指标等因素均有关联。同时既往研究表明,术后创伤后应激障碍与患者康复情况密切相关。 目的：通过查阅近年国内外骨科术后创伤后应激障碍及术后康复的相关文献,对骨科术后创伤后应激障碍的发生情况、高危因素及其与术后康复的关系进行分析,以期指导术后创伤后应激障碍的早期诊断及干预。 方法：第一、二作者分别应用计算机检索1990年1月至2019年10月PubMed数据库、Embase数据库、中国期刊全文数据库(CNKI)及万方数据库相关文章,英文检索词为“orthopedic,surgery/operation,PTSD,risk factor,rehabilitation”,中文检索词为“骨科,手术,创伤后应激障碍,高危因素,康复”。共检索到文献94篇,其中56篇符合纳入标准。 结果与结论：①依据术式的不同,骨科患者在术后有15%-40%的可能出现不同程度的创伤后应激障碍,其中下肢截肢手术后创伤后应激障碍发病率最高;②年轻、女性、低收入、低教育程度、缺乏社会支持、高度遗传易感性、术前不良心理状态、心理弹性差、低血压、高心率、高度疼痛敏感性都是骨科术后短期内发生创伤后应激障碍的高危因素;③术前创伤和手术本身创伤的严重程度与术后创伤后应激障碍的发生并无明确关联,但对术后生活、工作能力影响大的手术易于引发创伤后应激障碍;④术后出现创伤后应激障碍的患者可能产生不良的远期预后。 ORCID: 0000-0002-9187-9318(闫延) 中国组织工程研究杂志出版内容重点：人工关节;骨植入物;脊柱;骨折;内固定;数字化骨科;组织工程     

Typology of post-traumatic stress disorder in children and adolescents

Results obtained from clinical and psychopathological studies of 161 patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) aged 3–18 years with symptom durations from one month to four years are presented. Four major clinical variants of the type of PTSD were identified in children and adolescents: insomniac( 34.8%), phobic (23.6%), psychopathic-like (21.7%), and asthenic-depressive (19.9%). These variants, differing in terms of course and prognosis, occurred at different frequencies in different age and ethnic groups; there were no gender-related differences. __________ Translated from Zhurnal Nevrologii i Psikhiatrii imeni S. S. Korsakova, Vol. 105, No. 12, pp. 9–12, December, 2005.     

The use of clonidine in post-traumatic stress disorder

This case report examines the use of clonidine to successfully treat a child suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This case shows an unintentional washout period that exemplifies a cause-effect relationship between clonidine and the inhibition of reenactment symptoms of PTSD.     

Bio-socio-demographic factors associated with post-traumatic stress disorder in a sample of postpartum Brazilian women

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is common among women. In the postpartum period, the prevalence is between 1% and 6%. The present study investigated PTSD in a sample of 400 Brazilian women between 2 and 26 weeks postpartum using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview and found a frequency of 5.3%. The factors associated with the occurrence of PTSD were low purchasing power, a history of psychiatric disorders, clinical disease, and the infant having experienced some complication     

Serum lipid concentrations in Croatian veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder,post-traumatic stress disorder comorbid with major depressive disorder,or major depressive disorder

The aim of this study was to assess eventual differences in serum cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides, LDL-C/HDL-C ratio between veterans with combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) only or comorbid with major depressive disorder (MDD), veterans with combat experiences with MDD, and healthy control group. PTSD and/ or MDD were diagnose according to structured clinical interview based on DSM-IV criteria. Additional criteria to diagnose PTSD were Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS), and to diagnose MDD Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRAS). Serum lipid concentrations were determined by using the enzyme-assay method. Veterans with combat-related PTSD as well as veterans with combat-related PTSD comorbid with MDD showed significantly higher concentrations of cholesterol (F=9.858, p<0.01), triglycerides (F=10.112, p<0.01), LDL-C (F=11.145, p<0.01), and LDL-C/HDL-C ratio (F=8.346, p<0.01) vs. veterans with MDD or healthy control group. Contrary healthy control group and veterans with MDD showed significantly higher concentrations of HDL-C (F=8.421, p<0.01), vs. veterans with PTSD or PTSD comorbid with MDD. In conclusion, there are no differences in serum lipid concentrations between veterans with combat-related PTSD and PTSD comorbid with MDD, but they have higher lipid concentrations than veterans with MDD or healthy control subjects.     

Treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder with imipramine

The patient with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may be incapacitated by anxiety, sleep disturbances, and other difficulties. Ten patients with PTSD received imipramine for two to three weeks and, at the end of the study, reported significantly decreased severity of intrusion items such as forced recollections, and sleep and dream disturbances, along with cessation of flashbacks in three of four patients with them. Most avoidance items did not decrease noticeably in severity. Imipramine, in combination with psychotherapy, may be an effective treatment strategy for patients with PTSD. Double-blind investigations are warranted.     

Antisocial behavior and post-traumatic stress disorder in Vietnam veterans

Assessment data from 118 Vietnam-era veterans seeking psychological services at two Los Angeles Veterans Administration Medical Centers were analyzed to examine the potential relationships between number of preadult and adult antisocial behaviors, as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III; American Psychiatric Association, 1980) criteria for antisocial personality disorder, level of combat exposure, and development of combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Results of hierarchical regression analyses indicated that combat exposure level was related significantly to PTSD symptomatology, whereas number of preadult antisocial behaviors was not. However, both combat exposure level and preadult behaviors, which were not correlated significantly, were related significantly to number of adult antisocial behaviors. There were no significant interaction effects. Results were consistent with a theoretical model of PTSD development that emphasizes the role of trauma vs. premorbid characterological factors. In addition, the significant association between combat exposure and adult antisocial behavior indicates that trauma may play a role in the development and/or maintenance of adult antisocial behaviors observed in some Vietnam veterans.     

The auditory startle response in post-traumatic stress disorder

Changes in the reflex amplitude throughout the day have been observed in non-human mammals. The present experiment tested whether diurnal fluctuations also occur in humans. Hoffmann reflex (H-reflex) amplitude was measured in soleus and flexor carpi radialis (FCR) muscles from the data collected over a 12-h period between 7:00–9:00 a.m. and 7:00–9:00 p.m. At 4-h intervals, M/H recruitment curves were obtained, and two measures of H-reflex excitability were calculated. The maximal H-reflex (H _max) was calculated as the average of the three largest H-reflexes. H-reflexes were also sampled from the ascending limb of the M/H recruitment curve (H _A, n=10), with a corresponding M-wave of 5% M _max. All values were normalized to the maximal M-wave (M _max). Soleus H-reflex amplitude and plantar flexion maximal voluntary isometric contraction force (MVIC) were significantly smaller (p<0.05) in the morning (H _max=57.2% M _max, H _A=42.3%, M _max, MVIC=162.1 Nm) than in the evening (H _max=69.1% M _max, a 20.1% increase, H _A=54.1% M _max, a 27.4% increase and MVIC=195.8 Nm, a 20.8% increase). In contrast, FCR H-reflex amplitude and FCR MVIC were unchanged across all testing sessions. The data show that diurnal fluctuations are present in the amplitude of the human soleus but not in the FCR H-reflex. Diurnal fluctuation in the human soleus H-reflex amplitude must be considered when interpreting H-reflex data, especially when a repeated measures design spanning several days is utilized.     

A randomized controlled trial of cognitive-behavioral treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder in severe mental illness

A cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) program for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was developed to address its high prevalence in persons with severe mental illness receiving treatment at community mental health centers. CBT was compared with treatment as usual (TAU) in a randomized controlled trial with 108 clients with PTSD and either major mood disorder (85%) or schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (15%), of whom 25% also had borderline personality disorder. Eighty-one percent of clients assigned to CBT participated in the program. Intent-to-treat analyses showed that CBT clients improved significantly more than did clients in TAU at blinded posttreatment and 3- and 6-month follow-up assessments in PTSD symptoms, other symptoms, perceived health, negative trauma-related beliefs, knowledge about PTSD, and case manager working alliance. The effects of CBT on PTSD were strongest in clients with severe PTSD. Homework completion in CBT predicted greater reductions in symptoms. Changes in trauma-related beliefs in CBT mediated improvements in PTSD. The findings suggest that clients with severe mental illness and PTSD can benefit from CBT, despite severe symptoms, suicidal thinking, psychosis, and vulnerability to hospitalizations.     

A review of hippocampal activation in post-traumatic stress disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is often characterized by deficits in memory encoding and retrieval and aberrant fear and extinction learning. The hippocampus plays a critical role in memory and contextual processing and has been implicated in intrinsic functional connectivity networks involved in self-referential thought and memory-related processes. This review focuses on hippocampal activation findings during memory and fear and extinction learning tasks, as well as resting state hippocampal connectivity in individuals with PTSD. A preponderance of functional neuroimaging studies to date, using memory, fear learning, and extinction tasks, report decreased or “controls comparable” hippocampal activation in individuals with PTSD, which is usually associated with poorer performance on the task imaged. Existing evidence thus raises the possibility that greater hippocampal recruitment in PTSD participants may be required for similar performance levels. Studies of resting state functional connectivity in PTSD predominantly report reduced within-network connectivity in the default mode network (DMN), as well as greater coupling between the DMN and salience network (SN) via the hippocampus. Together, these findings suggest that deficient hippocampal activation in PTSD may be associated with poorer performance during memory, extinction recall, and fear renewal tasks. Furthermore, studies of resting state connectivity implicate the hippocampus in decreased within-network DMN connectivity and greater coupling with SN regions characteristic of PTSD.     

Characterizing the effects of sertraline in post-traumatic stress disorder

BACKGROUND: Sertraline has a proved efficacy in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but it is unknown which symptoms respond or in what sequence this occurs. Such information might be useful clinically and heuristically. METHOD: The study examined the effects of sertraline on the individual symptoms of PTSD. It also examined whether early changes in anger explained drug-induced change in other symptoms over time. Mixed models analysis was applied to datasets from two 12-week placebo-controlled trials of sertraline. A validated self-rating scale (DTS) was used to assess treatment efficacy. RESULTS: Sertraline was superior to placebo on 15 of 17 symptoms, especially in the numbing and hyperarousal clusters. A strong effect was found on anger from week 1, which partly explained the subsequent effects of sertraline on other symptoms, some of which began to show significantly greater response to drug than to placebo at week 6 (emotional upset at reminders, anhedonia, detachment, numbness, hypervigilance) and week 10 (avoidance of activities, foreshortened future). CONCLUSIONS: Sertraline exercises a broad spectrum effect in PTSD. Effects are more apparent on the psychological rather than somatic symptoms of PTSD, with an early modulation of anger and, perhaps, other affects, preceding improvement in other symptoms.