MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD : Growing evidence for memory effects mediating treatment efficacy

The application of MDMA in conjunction with psychotherapy has in recent years seen a resurgence of clinical, scientific, and public interest in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Clinical trials have shown promising safety and efficacy, but the mechanisms underlying this treatment form remain largely unestablished. This article explores recent preclinical and clinical evidence suggesting that the treatment’s efficacy may be influenced by the mnemonic effects of MDMA.

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Do insecure attachment styles predict prolonged grief symptoms? : Significant null findings

Insecure attachment is proposed to be a risk factor in the development and persistence of severe grief. Although prior research demonstrates positive cross-sectional and longitudinal correlations between attachment styles and prolonged grief symptoms, controlled longitudinal analyses yield fewer convincing results.

 

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Childhood trauma histories in men and women assessed by the childhood attachment and relational trauma screen (CARTS) and the global psychotrauma screen (GPS) : Results from the global collaboration on traumatic stress (GC-TS)

Background: Whether there are biological sex differences in rates of childhood trauma exposure perpetrated by female versus male biological parents remains largely unknown. Moreover, the relative risk posed by various vulnerability factors for transdiagnostic mental health outcomes among females vs. males in adulthood has received insufficient attention.

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Psychometric evaluation of the Swedish Traumatic Grief Inventory Self-Report Plus (TGI-SR+) in bereaved parents

The International Classification of Diseases Eleventh Edition (ICD-11), and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR), now include prolonged grief disorder (PGD). Since criteria for PGD in both classification systems differ from prior proposed grief disorders and each other, the validation of a single instrument to screen for prolonged grief (PG) symptoms of both new diagnoses is critical for bereavement research and care.

 

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A systematic review of the incidence of medical serious adverse events in sub-anesthetic ketamine treatment of psychiatric disorders

Background
Limited published data exists that collates serious adverse outcomes involving ketamine as a psychiatric intervention. This systematic review assesses the reported incidence of medical serious adverse events (MSAEs), including but not limited to cardiovascular events, in patients receiving sub-anesthetic doses of ketamine for psychiatric disorders to guide practitioners during treatment planning, risk-benefit analyses, and the informed consent process.

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Do savoring beliefs predict posttraumatic stress symptoms following stressful life events?

Background and objectives: Savoring beliefs refer to people’s beliefs about their ability to generate, increase, and prolong enjoyment from positive experiences. The role of these beliefs in affecting responses to negative events is largely unexplored. This study aimed to increase
knowledge about the role of savoring beliefs in symptoms of posttraumatic stress (PTS) following negative life events and the incremental role of these beliefs beyond the impact of worry, depressive rumination, and neuroticism.

 

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Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder : A State-of-the-art Review

This narrative state-of-the-art review paper describes the progress in the understanding and treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Over the last four decades, the scientific landscape has matured, with many interdisciplinary contributions to understanding its diagnosis, etiology, and epidemiology. Advances in genetics, neurobiology, stress pathophysiology, and brain imaging have made it apparent that chronic PTSD is a systemic disorder with high allostatic load.

 

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Perspectives on dying in severe and enduring eating disorders (SEEDs) : A qualitative study among Dutch mental healthcare providers

Dying of severe and enduring eating disorders (SEEDs) was studied using semi-structured interviews (n=7) and a follow-up videoconferencing focus group (n=3) with Dutch mental healthcare providers. We identified three main themes: the uncertainties of dying from SEEDs, dilemmas in defining treatment resistance and palliative care, and suicidal ideation and intent.

 

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Smaller total and subregional cerebellar volumes in posttraumatic stress disorder : a mega-analysis by the ENIGMA-PGC PTSD workgroup

Although the cerebellum contributes to higher-order cognitive and emotional functions relevant to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), prior research on cerebellar volume in PTSD is scant, particularly when considering subregions that differentially map on to motor, cognitive, and affective functions.

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My childhood – Your childhood? Psychobiological consequences of maternal childhood maltreatment experiences in women and their children : An intergenerational study from late pregnancy to one year postpartum

Childhood maltreatment (CM) increases the lifelong vulnerability to negative mental and physical health outcomes, in particular when people encounter subsequent stressors – known as “second hits” – later in life. Alterations in the biological stress response system are discussed as an underlying mechanism, translating CM into negative health sequelae of stress. One highly relevant question in this context is whether this increased risk of behavioral, mental or physical health problems is transmitted to following generations.

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