Post-traumatic stress disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a term for the psychological consequences of exposure to or confrontation with stressful experiences, which involve actual or threatened death, serious physical injury or a threat to physical integrity and which the person found highly traumatic. It is occasionally called post-traumatic stress reaction, to emphasize that it is a fairly normal result of a traumatic experience, rather than a manifestation of a pre-existing psychological weakness on the part of the patient.

Treatment

PTSD is usually treated by a combination of psychotherapy (cognitive-behavioral therapy, group therapy, and exposure therapy are popular) and drug therapy (antidepressant or atypical antipsychotics, e. g. brand names such as Prozac (fluoxetine), Effexor (venlafaxin), Zoloft (sertraline), Remeron (mirtazapine), Zyprexa (olanzapine), or Seroquel (quetiapine)). Talk therapy may prove useful, but only insofar as the individual sufferer is enabled to come to terms with the trauma suffered and successfully integrate the experiences in a way that does not further damage the psyche. Forbes et al. (2001)1 have shown that a technique of "rewriting" the content of nightmares through imagery rehearsal so that they have a resolution can not only reduce the nightmares but also other symptoms. The US FDA recently approved a clinical protocol that combines the drug MDMA ("Ecstasy") with talk therapy sessions (this doesn't mean that Ecstasy has proven efficiency for treating PTSD).

Related Topics:
Treated - Psychotherapy - Antidepressant - Atypical antipsychotics - Prozac - Effexor - Zoloft - Remeron - Zyprexa - Seroquel - MDMA

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Basic counseling includes education about the condition and provision of safety and support (Foa 1997). Cognitive therapy shows good results (Resick 2002), and group therapy may be helpful in reducing isolation and stigma (Foy 2002).

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Dr. Jan Bastiaans of the Netherlands has developed a form of psychedelic psychotherapy involving LSD, with which he has successfully treated concentration camp survivors who suffer from PTSD http://www.maps.org/news-letters/v09n2/09203maa.html.

Related Topics:
Jan Bastiaans - Netherlands - Psychedelic - Psychotherapy - LSD - Concentration camp

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PTSD is often comorbid with other psychiatric disorders with depression and substance abuse being the most common.

Related Topics:
Comorbid - Psychiatric disorders - Depression - Substance abuse

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There have been scores of other treatments suggested for the treatment of PTSD. Two of these controversial techniques are Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Traumatic Incident Reduction (TIR).

Related Topics:
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing - Traumatic Incident Reduction

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Israel military is experimentally treating PTSD with Marijuana.

Related Topics:
Israel military - Marijuana

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/08/04/uthc.xml&sSheet=/portal/2004/08/04/ixportaltop.html

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http://www2.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-08/05/content_362159.htm

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http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1091589016749

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