Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in Police and Military Personnel: Assessment and Treatment Methods from Psychophysiology and Neuroscience—Essential Preliminary Information

Biofeedback ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
John A. Carmichael
Keyword(s):  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Treatment Effectiveness ◽  
Clinical Approach ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Assessment And Treatment ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Dsm Iv ◽  
The Impact

Abstract This article presents the clinical approach developed by a Canadian biofeedback practitioner for the assessment and treatment of police and military clients, especially those with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The author conducted a clinical practice for more than 25 years primarily with male police and military clients. He examines the impact on treatment effectiveness of a number of factors, such as how police and military clients differ from civilian populations, the definition of trauma in this population, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th edition; DSM-IV) diagnostic criteria, the assessment of post-traumatic stress disorder, risks and coping factors, consequences of PTSD, DSM-IV conundrums, epidemiology, and other reactions to traumatic events.

Trauma, Dissociation, and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

2014 ◽  
pp. 363-391
Author(s):  
Terence M. Keane ◽  
Brian P. Marx ◽  
Denise M. Sloan ◽  
Anne DePrince
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Cognitive Processing Therapy ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Assessment And Treatment ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Future Work ◽  
The Impact

Worldwide, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is among the most common psychological disorders; over the past three decades researchers have made considerable progress in understanding the prevalence of PTSD and its psychological and biological underpinnings, while developing methods for its assessment and treatment. Only included in the diagnostic nomenclature since 1980, the history of PTSD extends as far back as the oldest literature in Western civilization. Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey capture the impact of war on combatants and civilians, as do many of the works of writers and artists across the centuries. The focus of this chapter is on the integration of contemporary work on traumatic stress exposure, psychological dissociation, and the development of PTSD, a disorder characterized by concurrent high levels of anxiety and depression and, in many instances, considerable chronicity and disability. More than 50 randomized controlled treatment outcome studies suggest that cognitive- behavioral treatments are especially effective, and support the use of exposure therapy, stress management therapy, cognitive therapy, cognitive processing therapy, and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing in treating PTSD. All these approaches constitute key evidence-based psychological treatments for PTSD. Future work will determine which treatments used by which therapists are best for patients with specific symptoms and concomitant conditions.

Trauma, Dissociation, and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

2010 ◽  
pp. 359-387
Author(s):  
Terence M. Keane ◽  
Brian P. Marx ◽  
Denise M. Sloan ◽  
Anne DePrince
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Processing ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Cognitive Processing Therapy ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Assessment And Treatment ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Future Work ◽  
The Impact

Worldwide, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is among the most common psychological disorders; over the past three decades researchers have made considerable progress in understanding the prevalence of PTSD and its psychological and biological underpinnings, while developing methods for its assessment and treatment. Only included in the diagnostic nomenclature since 1980, the history of PTSD extends as far back as the oldest literature in Western civilization. Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey capture the impact of war on combatants and civilians, as do many of the works of writers and artists across the centuries. The focus of this chapter is on the integration of contemporary work on traumatic stress exposure, psychological dissociation, and the development of PTSD, a disorder characterized by concurrent high levels of anxiety and depression and, in many instances, considerable chronicity and disability. More than 50 randomized controlled treatment outcome studies suggest that cognitive-behavioral treatments are especially effective, and support the use of exposure therapy, stress management therapy, cognitive therapy, cognitive processing therapy, and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing in treating PTSD. All these approaches constitute key evidence-based psychological treatments for PTSD. Future work will determine which treatments used by which therapists are best for patients with specific symptoms and concomitant conditions.

The impact of fibromyalgia syndrome and the role of comorbidity with mood and post-traumatic stress disorder in worsening the quality of life

2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (7) ◽  
pp. 647-655 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mauro Giovanni Carta ◽  
Maria Francesca Moro ◽  
Francesca Laura Pinna ◽  
Giorgia Testa ◽  
Enrico Cacace ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Fibromyalgia Syndrome ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Psychiatric Diagnoses ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Major Depressive ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Dsm Iv ◽  
The Impact

Background: The aim is to measure the association between fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), mood and anxiety disorders using reliable psychiatric diagnoses according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; DSM-IV) and with a case–control design. Methods: Case–control study with cases (71 consecutive female patients with FMS) and controls (284 subjects without FMS), randomly drawn after a gender- and age-matching technique from the database of an epidemiological survey. Psychiatric diagnoses were conducted according to DSM-IV and carried out by clinical staff using a structured interview (Advanced Neuropsychiatric Tools and Assessment Schedule). QoL was measured by Short Form Health Survey (SF-12). Results: The lifetime prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD; 43.7% vs 8.1%, p < .0001), bipolar disorder (BD; 21.1% vs 0.7%, p  < .0001), PTSD (8.4% vs 1.4%, p < .0001) and panic disorder (28.2% vs 5.6%, p < .001) was higher in people with FMS than in controls. People with FMS showed a poorer QoL than controls on the SF-12 (26.43 ± 6.04 vs 37.45 ± 5.80, p < .0001). Those with comorbidity with MDD and BD showed a mean SF-12 score of 24.75 ± 6.31 versus 29.52 ± 4.84 ( N = 25) of people with FMS without any mood disorder ( p = .002). The attributable burden of FMS in worsening QoL was found comparable to that of serious chronic diseases such as multiple sclerosis. Conclusion: FMS is a disorder that ‘in itself’ can have a devastating impact on an individual’s life. The frequency of the association with major depressive and bipolar disorders increases the impact on the QoL of people with FMS. One of the causes of this association appears to be the extreme vulnerability to chronic stress that this disorder involves. The findings have important clinical significance: the physician must interpret in the right dimension and with dignity the suffering of the people with FMS.

The clinical significance criterion in DSM-IV post-traumatic stress disorder

2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (10) ◽  
pp. 1437-1444 ◽  
Author(s):  
NAOMI BRESLAU ◽  
GERMAN F. ALVARADO
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Significance ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
World Health ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Dsm Iv ◽  
Clinically Significant ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACTBackgroundThe DSM-IV definition of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) requires that the syndrome cause clinically significant distress or impairment. The impact of the clinical significance criterion on the lifetime prevalence of PTSD among civilian victims of traumatic events has not been evaluated.MethodData from two community-based samples were examined, the 1996 Detroit Area Survey of Trauma (n=2181) and the Mid-Atlantic Urban Youth Study (n=1698). The World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview (WHO CIDI) was used to ascertain DSM-IV PTSD.ResultsThe inclusion of the clinical significance criterion in DSM-IV reduces the conditional probability of PTSD given exposure to trauma by approximately 30%. Cases with clinically significant syndrome showed more pervasive and persistent disturbance and an excess in impaired activity days.ConclusionsThe consistency of the findings between the two studies strengthens the evidence on the impact of the clinical significance criterion in the diagnosis of PTSD, and the construct validity of its measurement. There is a need for greater research effort on the definition and measurement of the clinical significance criterion.

scholarly journals Exploring the impact of COVID-19 and restrictions to daily living as a result of social distancing within veterans with pre-existing mental health difficulties

2020 ◽  
pp. bmjmilitary-2020-001622 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominic Murphy ◽  
C Williamson ◽  
J Baumann ◽  
W Busuttil ◽  
N T Fear
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
The Impact

IntroductionData are emerging showing the adverse consequences on mental health of the general public due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Little is known about the needs of veterans with pre-existing mental health difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsData were collected through a cross-sectional online survey from a randomly selected sample (n=1092) of military veterans who have sought help for mental health difficulties from a veteran-specific UK-based charity. The response rate was 25.2% (n=275). Participants were asked to complete a range of standardised mental health outcomes (post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist, common mental health difficulties (CMDs): 12-Item General Health Questionnaire, difficulties with anger: 5-Item Dimensions of Anger Reactions—Revised and alcohol misuse: Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) and endorse a list of potential stressors related to changes to daily life resulting from COVID-19. Regression analyses were fitted to explore predictors of mental health severity.ResultsIt was observed that symptoms of common mental disorder and PTSD (69.3% and 65.0%, respectively) were the most commonly reported to have been exacerbated by the pandemic. Lack of social support and reporting increasing numbers of stressors related to COVID-19 were consistently associated with increasing severity of a range of mental health difficulties.ConclusionsOur findings suggest veterans who had pre-existing mental health difficulties prior to the outbreak of COVID-19 may be at increased risk of experiencing CMDs as a result of the pandemic. Intervening to improve levels of social support and offering practical guidance to better manage any additional stressors relating to the pandemic may provide strategies to help reduce the burden of mental health symptoms.

scholarly journals Post-traumatic stress disorder following COVID-19 pandemic among medical students in Riyadh: a cross-sectional study

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zainab Ifthikar ◽  
Saima Sajjad Fakih ◽  
Saumy Johnson ◽  
Johnson Alex
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Emotional Impact ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background In recent times, COVID-19 has been recognized as a public health emergency and thus far, most papers published on it are focused only on the clinical characteristics of infected patients. This pandemic has also made phenomenal emotional impact among the young and the old. We aimed to find out the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the psychological well-being of medical students in a University at Riyadh. Results There were 309 participants in the study. Out of them 44% did not have PTSD, 29% had score more than 37 which might contribute to immune suppression, in 18.4% PTSD was a clinical concern and 8.6% had probable PTSD. Female participants were the majority in the group and they also had higher chance of having consequences than the male counterparts (P < 0.001). Avoidance score between male and female gender was significantly different. Conclusion COVID-19 pandemic has not just affected the physiological functioning of the affected individuals but also has had a probable post-traumatic stress disorder among young college students. Screening for psychological well-being and the treatment for PTSD is imperative in college, school and general population.

Exposure to stressful events during a peacekeeping mission may have a price: The impact on trait of negative and positive affect and mental health

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (9) ◽  
pp. 1285-1291
Author(s):  
Roberta Sonia Rodrigues Álvares ◽  
Ana Carolina Ferraz Mendonça-de-Souza ◽  
Antônio Fernando Araujo Duarte ◽  
Thaís Medeiros Gameiro ◽  
Nastassja Lopes Fischer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Negative Affect ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Stress Disorder ◽  
Stressful Events ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
The Impact

We evaluated the participants’ negative affect, positive affect, post-traumatic stress disorder, and depression symptoms before and after a peacekeeping mission. Depression symptoms and positive affect after mission were significantly associated with exposure to stressful events during the mission, controlled by the respective characteristics before mission. Negative affect and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms after mission had a tendency to be associated with exposure to stressful events during the mission, controlled by the respective characteristics before mission. In conclusion, even in healthy and physically active male peacekeepers, those more exposed to stressful events could be more vulnerable to present negative outcomes.

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