Multi-Modal Virtual-Reality Based Treatment for Canadian Armed Forces Members with Combat- Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder:A Computer- Assisted Rehabilitation Environment (CAREN) Waitlist Controlled Staggered Entry Study Protocol

Background: Military members (MMs), including Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Service members (SMs), and Veterans are at elevated risk of experiencing occupational traumas which can cause operational stress injuries (OSIs) including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and moral injury (MI). Traditional evidence-based psychotherapeutic interventions can be effective in reducing symptoms of PTSD. Some MMs and Veterans, however, are less responsive to these treatments and considered to have Treatment-Resistant PTSD (TR-PTSD).

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Prolonged grief disorder in section II of DSM-5 : a commentary

Dear Editor,

 

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Experiences with medical cannabis in the treatment of veterans with PTSD : Results from a focus group discussion.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an often chronic condition for which currently available medications have limited efficacy. Medical cannabis is increasingly used to treat patients with PTSD; however, evidence for the efficacy and safety of cannabinoids is scarce. To learn more about patients' opinions on and experiences with medical cannabis, we organized a focus group discussion among military veterans (N = 7) with chronic PTSD who were treated with medical cannabis.

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Brief Eclectic Psychotherapy for PTSD

Brief eclectic psychotherapy for PTSD (BEPP) has been recognized as one evidence-based treatment for individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Clinicians interested in reducing symptoms and helping patients understand their traumatic experiences often resonate with BEPP as a treatment option. BEPP is a 16-session, manualized treatment specially designed for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder. When first developed, BEPP was used and evaluated for treating police officers with PTSD in the Netherlands.

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Associations of depressive rumination and positive affect regulation with emotional distress after the death of a loved one

The death of a loved one may precipitate symptoms of prolonged grief disorder (PGD), post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. Brooding about the causes and consequences of one's negative affect (NA), also termed depressive rumination, has been linked to distress after loss. The role of dysregulation of positive affect (PA) has received less attention. We examined (1) the factor structure of depressive rumination and PA dysregulation and (2) to what extent these factors were related to PGD, PTSD and depression symptom levels.

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Traumatic loss and psychosis – reconceptualising the role of trauma in psychosis

Literature suggests that the occurrence of psychological trauma (PT) from various negative life experiences beyond events mentioned in the DSM-criterion A, receives little to no attention when comorbid with psychosis. In fact, despite research indicating the intricate interplay between PT and psychosis, and the need for trauma-focused interventions (TFI), there continue to be mixed views on whether treating PT would worsen psychosis, with many practitioners hesitating to initiate treatment for this reason.

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The effects of PTSD treatment during pregnancy : systematic review and case study

Background: PTSD in pregnant women is associated with adverse outcomes for mothers and their children. It is unknown whether pregnant women with PTSD, or symptoms of PTSD, can receive targeted treatment that is safe and effective.

Objective: The purpose of the present paper was to assess the effectiveness and safety of treatment for (symptoms of) PTSD in pregnant women.

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Sleep disturbance in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) : a systematic review and meta-analysis of actigraphy studies

Background: Sleep disturbance has been described as a ‘hallmark’ symptom of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although there are robust findings of self-reported sleep disturbance in PTSD, evidence of sleep disturbance measured using actigraphy is less certain.

Objective: To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine whether there are any significant differences between individuals with and without PTSD in actigraphderived sleep measures.

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Diversity Competence : Cultures don’t meet, people do by Edwin Hoffman and Arjan Verdooren. Bussum: Uitgeverij Coutinho. 2018 (352 pages) ISBN: 978-90-4690598-2

Edwin Hoffman and Arjan Verdooren’s book, Diversity Competence, tackles the many confusions operating between people from different cultural and/or ethnic backgrounds. Their book − a comprehensive toolbox examining many aspects of intercultural communication − features a great wealth of examples, some of which are very humorous indeed.

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How can the COVID-19 response advance global mental health?

The COVID-19 pandemic, a defining health event of our time, is bringing rapid changes to mental health care across the globe. Although there is extensive disruption to existing practices, the response to the pandemic is presenting opportunities for advancing the field of global mental health (GMH) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

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