Intranasal oxytocin : miracle cure after trauma?

Background: In popular media and on Internet, the neuropeptide oxytocin is often advertised as a miracle drug that cures all

types of disorders, reduces stress, saves marriages, all conveniently with a nasal spray. Here we will present the effects of intranasal

oxytocin on brain function in recently traumatized individuals and patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and

discuss clinical implications and further research. PTSD is characterized by exaggerated fear responses to threat and traumarelated

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Plasma lipoproteins in posttraumatic stress disorder patients compared to healthy controls and their associations with the HPA- and HPT-axis

Abstract

Background

Based on studies among primarily male veteran subjects, lipoproteins are thought to mediate the association of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, recent civilian studies with female samples or samples with both sexes represented provide little evidence for this association. Gender, diet and sex-specific effects of stress hormones on lipoproteins may explain this dissociation in findings.

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Risk of relapse after antidepressant discontinuation in anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder : systematic review and meta-analysis of relapse prevention trials

Objectives To examine the risk of relapse and time to relapse after discontinuation of antidepressants in patients with anxiety disorder who responded to antidepressants, and to explore whether relapse risk is related to type of anxiety disorder, type of antidepressant, mode of discontinuation, duration of treatment and follow-up, comorbidity, and allowance of psychotherapy.

 

Design Systematic review and meta-analyses of relapse prevention trials.

 

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Psychotraumatology in Greece

Psychological trauma is very common, understudied and consequently undertreated in Greece and many other countries. The word trauma comes from the Greek trauma (τραύμα) meaning trauma wound, alteration of trōma; akin to Greek titrōskein = to wound, tetrainein = to pierce. Although there is no data available on the prevalence rates of trauma or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in Greece, there is no reason to believe that various types of traumatic experiences are not common phenomena in Greek society.

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Prolonged grief and posttraumatic stress in bereaved children : A latent class analysis

Few studies have yet examined subgroups among children (aged 8–18) confronted with the death of a close loved one, characterized by different profiles of symptoms of prolonged grief disorder (PGD) and symptoms of bereavement-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study sought to identify such subgroups and socio-demographic and loss-related variables associated with subgroup membership.

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Situation of Readmitted Migrants and Refugees from Greece to Turkey under the EU-Turkey Statement

Under the Greece-Turkey Readmission Agreement, irregular migrants and asylum seekers whose claims are found inadmissible by the Greek authorities are readmitted to Turkey since the EU-Turkey Statement was announced in March 2016. This report is based on field and desk research on conditions faced by migrants and refugees readmitted from Greece to Turkey and focuses on their access to effective international protection.

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Meaning making by public leaders in times of crisis : An assessment

Public leaders are expected to provide information on a crisis situation and present a plan to restore a state of normalcy. This study, based on interviews with Dutch mayors who were personally involved in crises between 1979 and 2014, assesses the various roles of public leaders’ meaning making. A total of 94 case studies were analyzed for this purpose. Responsibility and collective impact turn out to be closely intertwined phenomena, which influence the

modus operandi

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Cross-lagged associations between posttraumatic stress symptoms and coping self-efficacy in long-term recovery : A four-wave comparative study

RATIONALE:

Trauma-related coping self-efficacy (CSE) - in brief, the perceived ability to cope with the aftermath of a traumatic event - has been shown to affect psychological outcomes. A previous study showed that CSE affects subsequent PTSS levels, but not vice versa among a sample exposed 0-6 months ago.

OBJECTIVE:

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Harrowing journeys : Children and youth on the move across the Mediterranean Sea, at risk of trafficking and exploitation

Young migrants and refugees set out to escape harm or secure better futures – and face staggering risks in the process. For 17-yearold Mohammad, who travelled through Libya to seek asylum in Italy, violence and persecution back home meant the choice was clear: “We risked our lives to come here,” he says, “we crossed a sea. We knew it is not safe, so we sacrificed. We do it, or we die.”

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Scope, Scale, and Dose of the World’s Largest School-Based Mental Health Programs

Untreated mental health problems are among the most disabling, persistent, and costly health conditions.

Because they often begin in childhood and continue into adulthood, there has been growing interest in preventive mental health programs for children.

In recent years, several such programs have been implemented at regional, state, or national scale, and although many experimental studies have documented positive outcomes of individual programs, this article represents the first attempt to systematically compare the largest programs in terms of scope, scale, and dose.

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