The need for careful study design when investigating the benefits of psychological interventions for trauma survivors: a commentary on Renner, Bänninger-Huber, Peltzer (2011)

Methodological concerns are explored and questions raised about the validity of conclusions reached in a recent article by Renner, B+ñnninger-Huber and Peltzer (2011). These authors reported treatment outcomes of Chechen asylum seekers and refugees with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), anxiety and depression following treatment with Group Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), a Culture- Sensitive and Resource Oriented Peer Group (CROP), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and a wait-list condition.

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The one-carbon-cycle and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T polymorphism in recurrent Major Depressive Disorder, influence of antidepressant use and depressive state?

AbstractBackgroundAn important biological factor suggested in the pathophysiology of (recurrent) Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) concerns a polymorphism in a gene encoding for the MTHFR-enzyme of the one-carbon (1-C)-metabolism.

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The effect of trauma-focused therapy on the altered T cell distribution in individuals with PTSD. Evidence from a randomized controlled trial

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with a reduced ratio of na+»ve cytotoxic T lymphocytes, an increased ratio of memory cytotoxic T lymphocytes, and a reduced proportion of FoxP3+ regulatory T lymphocytes. This study investigated whether these immunological alterations are reversible through an evidence-based psychotherapeutic treatment. Therefore, 34 individuals with PTSD were randomly assigned to either a treatment condition of 12 sessions Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) or a waitlist control (WLC) group.

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The efficacy of psychosocial interventios for adults in contexts of ongoing man-made violence - A systematic review

ABSTRACTCompared to psychosocial programs implemented in post-conflict settings those executed in areas of ongoing conflicts may have different effects. Their evidence of efficacy has never been systematically reviewed. We searched PubMed, PsychInfo and the Dutch Tropical Institute Literature Portal from inception to31 January 2013 to identify studies on community-oriented psychosocial and psychiatric/clinical services for adults during ongoing manmade conflict or its direct aftermath. Of 6358 articles screened, 16 met our inclusion criteria.

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The heterogeneity of long-term grief reactions

Background Individuals experience the loss of a spouse in varied ways. There is growing recognition of major depressive disorder and complicated grief as distinct post-bereavement disorders. However, most studies focusing on these different courses of functioning have not examined pre-loss functioning. Methods We used data from a prospective population based study to examine depression and grief among conjugally bereaved older adults.

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The Body keeps the score : brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma

Van der Kolk transforms the understanding of traumatic stress, revealing how it literally rearranges the brain’s wiring—specifically areas dedicated to pleasure, engagement, control, and trust. He shows how these areas can be reactivated through innovative treatments including neurofeedback, mindfulness techniques, play, yoga, and other therapies.

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The Clinical Sequelae of Dysfunctional Defense Responses: Dissociative Amnesia, Pain and Somatization, Emotional Motor Memory, and Interoceptive Loops

To maximize the possibility of survival in a situation of extreme danger, the defense responses have an immediacy that confers precedence of the midbrain over the cortex (Mobbs et al., 2009). This is especially important in the child's brain, which develops from ...

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Systematic review of the prevalence and characteristics of battle casualties from NATO coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan

BACKGROUND: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) coalition forces remain heavily committed on combat operations overseas. Understanding the prevalence and characteristics of battlefield injury of coalition partners is vital to combat casualty care performance improvement. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the prevalence and characteristics of battle casualties from NATO coalition partners in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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'Strength at Home' Intervention to Prevent Conflict and Violence in Military Couples: Pilot Findings

In this article, we report on a pilot study of Strength at Home-Couples (SAH-C), a 10-session cognitive-behavioral couples-based group intervention designed to prevent intimate partner violence (IPV) in military couples. The primary purposes of this pilot study were to determine feasibility of recruiting, retaining, and assessing SAH-C participants in addition to those participating in a comparison Supportive Therapy (ST) group-based couples intervention.

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Social support, oxytocin, and PTSD

AbstractBackground: A lack of social support and recognition by the environment is one of the most consistent risk factors for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and PTSD patients will recover faster with proper social support. The oxytocin system has been proposed to underlie beneficial effects of social support as it is implicated in both social bonding behavior and reducing stress responsivity, notably amygdala reactivity (Koch et al., 2014, Olff et al., 2010, Olff, 2012).

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