Differences between effects of psychological versus pharmacological treatments on functional and morphological brain alterations in anxiety disorders and major depressive disorder: A systematic review

The most prevalent mental disorders, anxiety and mood disorders, are associated with both functional and morphological brain changes that commonly involve the 'fear network' including the (medial) prefrontal cortex, hippocampus and amygdala. Patients suffering from anxiety disorders and major depressive disorder often show excessive amygdala and reduced prefrontal cortex functioning. It is, however, still unclear whether these brain abnormalities disappear or diminish following effective treatment.

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Direct and indirect assessment of explanatory models of illness

Patients’ self-reports of explanatory models (EMs) are sensitive to distortions, particularly as a result of social desirability, uncertainty towards one’s own beliefs, and ethnic disparities with the interviewer. In contrast, reaction-time-based indirect measures are thought to be less sensitive to such factors. This article reports on two studies that applied direct (interview) and indirect (reaction-time-based association task) measures of EMs.

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Coping flexibility and complicated grief: a comparison of American and Chinese samples

The ability to process a death and the ability to remain optimistic and look beyond the loss are both thought to be effective means of coping with loss and other aversive events. Recently, these seemingly contrary dimensions have been integrated into the idea of coping flexibility. In this study, we assessed the ability of married and bereaved individuals in the United States and Hong Kong to use both coping approaches as operationalized by the trauma-focused and forward-focused coping scales of a previously validated questionnaire. We also calculated a single flexibility score.

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Coping flexibility, potentially traumatic life events, and resilience: A prospective study of college student adjustment

College has been shown to be a particularly stressful time both due to unique emergent stressors and because of increased vulnerability for exposure to potentially traumatic events (PTEs). Both of these conditions are associated with heightened risk for the development of stress-related pathology. However, while this period may be particularly challenging, previous work shows most students adapt in a number of heterogeneous ways that result in little or no stress-related symptomatology over the four years of college.

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Coping and chronic psychosocial consequences of female genital mutilation in the Netherlands

Objective. The study presented in this article explored psychosocial and relational problems of African immigrant women in the Netherlands who underwent female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), the causes they attribute to these problems – in particular, their opinions about the relationship between these problems and their circumcision – and the way they cope with these health complaints. Design.

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Comparison of the effectiveness of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy and paroxetine treatment in PTSD patients: Design of a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundThe two most common interventions for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are pharmacological treatment with SSRIs such as paroxetine and psychological treatment such as Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT). International guidelines recommend trauma-focused psychological interventions for all PTSD patients as first-line treatment (NICE). However, no clear-cut evidence is available to support this recommendation.

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Competitive or multidirectional memory? The interaction between postwar and postcolonial memory in the Netherlands

This article explores the relationship between two cultural memories in the postcolonial Netherlands: of World War II and of the DutchGÇôIndonesian war of decolonization. Through two case studies we analyse what happens when both memories encounter each other in public space. The first case concentrates on the early postwar commemoration practices centred on 4 May, the Dutch Remembrance Day of World War II. We show that the focus on heroes and national unity in the cultural memory of World War II enabled Indies veterans to articulate their own interests.

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Complex posttraumatic stress disorder in patients with borderline personality disorder and somatoform disorders

Disorders of Extreme Stress Not Otherwise Specified (DESNOS), also known as Complex posttraumatic stress disorder, was assessed in a sample (N = 472) of adult psychiatric patients with confirmed diagnoses of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), Somatoform Disorders (SoD), comorbid BPD + SoD, or Affective or Anxiety Disorders (Psychiatric Controls, PC).

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Compulsive carnival song whistling following cardiac arrest: a case study

BackgroundCompulsivity is the repetitive, irresistible urge to perform a behavior, the experience of loss of voluntary control over this intense urge and the tendency to perform repetitive acts in a habitual or stereotyped manner. Compulsivity is part of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), but may occasionally occur as stand-alone symptom following brain damage induced by cardiac arrest. In this case report, we describe a patient who developed compulsivity following cardiac arrest. We review diagnostic options, underlying mechanisms and possible treatments.

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Cognitive behaviour therapy versus eye movement desensitization and reprocessing for post-traumatic disorder-is it all in the homework then?

Introduction Treatment of choice for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is either eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) or trauma-focused cognitive behaviour therapy (TFCBT). Objective The aim of the present meta-analysis was to determine whether there are any differences between these two treatments with respect to efficacy and efficiency in treating PTSD. Method We performed a comprehensive literature search using several electronic search engines as well as manual searches of other review papers.

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