PTSD News

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health have reported that meditation and stretching could mitigate symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, thus regulating stress hormone levels.

SAN FRANCISCO — Survivors of traumatic events continued to experience physical symptoms long after the initial trauma, according to data presented at the 2013 American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting.

Repetitive traumatic brain injury contributes to suicidal thoughts and risk for suicide in military personnel, results from a recent study in JAMA Psychiatry suggest.

SAN FRANCISCO — The presence of borderline personality disorder may affect the time to remission and relapse of a number of Axis I disorders, particularly anxiety disorders, eating disorders and drug use, according to new data presented here at the 2013 American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting.

The use of acupuncture is an effective treatment in active-duty service members and can help entice reluctant patients to participate in conventional psychotherapies, according to experts in posttraumatic stress disorder.

Subfertile women who used assisted reproduction to conceive were more susceptible to psychological trauma after a miscarriage compared with women who conceived naturally, according to recent study results.

The devastation caused by the deadly bombings at the Boston Marathon affected many lives, but the tragedy may present an opportunity for clinicians to deliver more effective mental health care, according to some experts.

After the Boston Marathon bombings that killed 3 people and injured 264 people, orthopedic surgeons treated wounds normally seen in a wartime setting. The injuries involved all layers of the extremity and varied greatly: surgeons were treating patients with burns, fractures, retained fragmentation and soft tissue loss. These patients will need multiple surgeries to stabilize, repair bone and repair soft tissue before they can start rehabilitation.

As the spotlight shines on the health and recovery of the victims and witnesses of the recent Boston Marathon bombings, mental health professionals are energized to help. But according to Craig L. Katz, MD, and Asher B. Simon, MD, of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, clinicians should think carefully about how they address the mental health needs of those who have been affected by the tragedy.

Leading experts in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder said the use of complementary and alternative medicine alongside mainstream therapies may lead to better treatment outcomes. Their findings have been published in a new feature article in Psychiatric Annals.