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

Patients with anxiety disorders are more likely to have suicidal thoughts and actions, says recent review

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Claire Mokrysz
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Suicidal thoughts and actions are typically discussed in relation to depression, but a number of studies have suggested suicide may also be linked to anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorders often co-occur with depression, and this may be masking a risk of suicide specifically related to anxiety. Today is World Suicide Prevention Day so it seemed relevant [read the full story…]

We need to know more about how to help adults who have experienced trauma

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Amanda Harris
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People affected by trauma present in a number of different settings (Solomon et. al., 1997), sometimes immediately after the trauma, and sometimes much later when they are experiencing the effects of traumatic stress, depression, anxiety or other mental health difficulties. When trauma leads to an individual developing a post traumatic stress reaction, there is not [read the full story…]

Are the current approaches to treating traumatised kids actually making them better?

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Amanda Harris
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More and more research is telling us about the long-term negative consequences of trauma and adversity in childhood with correlations between childhood trauma and poor mental and physical health outcomes across the lifespan. So, it makes sense that there should be a good evidence base for treating the effects of childhood trauma. In February this [read the full story…]

Childhood trauma and abuse is the smoking of psychiatry

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Simon Hatcher
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Childhood trauma and abuse is the smoking of psychiatry. As a risk factor for mental illness it is comparable to how smoking a pack of cigarettes per day increases the risk of lung cancer and heart disease. As an adult psychiatrist I see the consequences of poor starts to life and do my best to [read the full story…]

New evidence update from NICE on common mental disorders

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The NICE guideline on common mental disorders (PDF) was published back in May 2011, which means that it only included evidence published up until the end of 2010. This is a fast moving field, so NICE have now put out an evidence update, which focuses on new evidence published from Sept 2010 to Oct 2012. This [read the full story…]

Women and men with mental health problems are significantly more likely to have experienced domestic violence

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The 2010/11 British Crime Survey reported that levels of lifetime partner abuse were 27% in women and 17% in men. The survey concluded that women experience more domestic violence than men and the abuse is more severe and prolonged in women. The Home Office is planning to redefine domestic violence in the coming months, to [read the full story…]

Prazosin may help reduce nightmares in people with PTSD, but more evidence is needed

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People who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often have nightmares that relive the experience and these can sometimes be as terrifying as the original trauma. These nightmares can be very difficult to treat effectively as there are few options available. A team of researchers from the Mayo Clinic have published a systematic review that [read the full story…]

CBT and other psychotherapies can help children with PTSD in the short-term, but more evidence is needed according to Cochrane

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Nearly a year ago I blogged about a promising but small RCT, which showed that Trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy may help young children with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The blog generated a fair bit of feedback from readers and so I’ve been on the look out ever since for a systematic review that brings [read the full story…]

Community-based outreach may reduce mental health problems in women who experience intimate partner abuse

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Women who experience intimate partner abuse (IPA) often suffer from mental health problems as a result. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and fear of further attacks are all common and understandable responses. Despite this, there are not many longitudinal studies that follow a group of women over a period of time and assess what interventions [read the full story…]

Does self-help treatment for anxiety disorders work?

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Many people struggle with anxiety disorders such as panic disorder, social phobia, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Moreover, about 30% of us have an anxiety disorder at some point in our life (Kessler et al 2005) but most people never receive treatment. Self-help interventions may provide a solution when people are unable or unwilling to [read the full story…]