ARIEH SHALEV

..Preventing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a pressing public health need...

..The purpose of this study was to prospectively evaluate the onset, overlap, and course of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depression following traumatic events...

..It additionally assessed the effect of continuous terrorism on the course of early symptoms of PTSD...

..The authors evaluated psychological responses to continuous terror...

..Female subjects had lower ACTH levels than males. PTSD in females was associated with higher levels of ACTH. In unselected cohorts of trauma survivors, PTSD is not preceded by a detectable abnormality of peripheral HPA axis hormones...

..Studies of gene expression of PTSD exemplify one way of studying the context of putative biological signals. The role of biological alterations as templates for responding to psychosocial challenges is discussed...

..Finally, a brief overview of the treatment of PTSD is given, including psychological and biological treatment options...

..Not limited to residents, the debate about psychotherapy in psychiatry concerns the profession's core identity and its traditional person-centered nature...

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..Traumatic events are followed by a critical period of increased brain plasticity, during which irreversible neuronal changes may occur in those who develop traumatic stress disorders...

..Studies have shown significant barriers to obtaining early care. This study prospectively evaluated the acceptance of early assessment and treatment, the accuracy of recommending care, and the consequences of declining it...

..The present study attempted to clarify this issue by prospectively evaluating responses to sudden, loud tones in individuals who arrived at a hospital emergency room after psychologically traumatic events...

..There is a great unmet need for treatment and intervention guidelines for victims of mass trauma, and well-designed studies are warranted...

..CONCLUSIONS: Smaller hippocampal volume is not a necessary risk factor for developing PTSD and does not occur within 6 months of expressing the disorder. This brain abnormality might occur in individuals with chronic or complicated PTSD...

..Replications in larger samples, as well as studies focusing on specific markers within the signatures discovered, are warranted to confirm and extend the diagnostic utility and pathogenetic implications of our results...

..43% in PTSD vs 9.47% in TS controls; chi(2) = 6.11, df = 2, P < 0.047). These findings suggest that genetically determined changes in dopaminergic reactivity may contribute to the occurrence of PTSD among trauma survivors...

..Responses to challenge in PTSD may be mediated by nonvagal, possibly sympathetic mechanisms...

..Addition of triiodothyronine (T3) to ongoing antidepressant treatment is considered an effective augmentation strategy in refractory depression. We report the effect of T3 augmentation of antidepressants in patients with PTSD...

..The objective of this study was to evaluate the acquisition, generalization, and extinction of conditioned physiologic responses to aversive stimuli in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)...

..5; p = .013). CONCLUSION: Hospital physicians from surgical disciplines who were professionally exposed to victims of terror did not demonstrate a higher incidence of PTSD than their less exposed counterparts...

..6% and 85.1% and specificity of 40.4% and 38.6% at the 1-month and 4-month assessments, respectively. Narcissistic vulnerabilities contribute to the occurrence of PTSD...

..These results suggest that gender differences in responses to traumatic events are not explained by exposure as such, but rather may result from gender-specific attributes of the event...

..More recent studies used advanced data analytic methods to explore the sequence of causation that leads to chronic PTSD. Advantages and limitations of longitudinal methods are discussed...

..Peripheral levels of NE, shortly after traumatic events, are poor risk indicators of subsequent PTSD among civilian trauma victims. Simplified biological models may not properly capture the complex aetiology of PTSD...

..It disappeared, however, when the effect of depressive symptoms was controlled for. Lower IQ and impaired attention are associated with early PTSD and depressive symptoms. Poorer attention may have a role in shaping traumatic memories...

..Hospital doctors who develop PTSD symptoms suffer greater burnout and manifest negative coping strategies but are reluctant to receive treatment...

..This study evaluates the effect of homeopathic treatment in generalized anxiety disorder, a prevalent mental disorder characterized by an enduring pattern of excessive apprehension and distress and by mental and bodily complaints...

..CONCLUSION: These preliminary findings suggest that brief, irreversible memory gaps are common in trauma survivors, whereas longer, progressive, and potentially reversible amnesia occurs among survivors who develop PTSD...

..Identification of susceptibility genes will increase our understanding of traumatic stress disorders and help to elucidate their molecular basis. The current review provides an up-to-date outline of progress in the field of PTSD...

..Survivors with and without PTSD had similar mean levels of cortisol at both time points. Cortisol levels at 6 months negatively correlated with self-reported PTSD symptoms within PTSD subjects...

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..The present data suggest that inferences of direct correspondence between animal studies and pathophysiology of PTSD should be made with caution...

..These are promoting: 1) a sense of safety, 2) calming, 3) a sense of self- and community efficacy, 4) connectedness, and 5) hope...

..The methods offer promise for future study of the natural course of PTSD chronicity or recovery, risk and resilience factors that influence individual growth or decline, and critical timepoints for intervention...

..It assumes two categories of responses: those that mediate survival and those related to learning and adaptation. The complementary roles of fear conditioning, processing novelty, and adjusting to change are discussed...

..This article concludes with brief guidelines for longer-term interventions and recommendations for future research...

..This paper looks at the course of PTSD, its disabling effect, its recognition and treatment, and considers possible new research directions...

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..Studying identical twins discordant for traumatic exposure offers an opportunity to resolve these competing origins...

..This warrants attention because the cerebellum is often used as a reference region in regional cerebral blood flow studies. The inverse correlation between plasma cortisol and medial temporal lobe perfusion may herald hippocampal damage...

..Repeated telephone evaluations will assess treatment effectiveness. The study will generate vital knowledge about the feasibility and the effectiveness of secondary prevention of PTSD in large cohorts of survivors. ..

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..In this way, evaluation of HPA and SNS predictor effects and interactions will be adjusted for the effects of other relevant, antecedent variables, and for earlier HPA axis and SNS effects and interactions. ..