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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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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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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Child in the shadowlands

The World Health Organization described children born of rape as at risk of being neglected, stigmatized, ostracized, or abandoned. Cases of infanticide (the killing of an infant) have also been reported. Despite such general concerns, little is known about the fate of these children. Even in the mental health domain, professional conversations hardly include their fate. Clinical case reports describe a high rate of ambivalent parent-child relationships or even abusive relationships and a high rate of serious discrimination within the societies in which these children are raised.

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Childhood trauma increases risk of post-traumatic stress disorder in response to first-episode psychosis

Objective: To investigate the relationship between childhood trauma, post-traumatic stress symptoms due to the experience of childhood trauma, and post-traumatic stress symptoms due to the experience of psychosis. Method: The current study assessed childhood trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms as a result of both childhood trauma and psychosis using the Impact of Events Scale - Revised, in a group of 36 people with first-episode psychosis.

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Can people remain engaged and vigorous in the face of trauma? Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza

This is the first study to investigate how actively engaged and vigorous people remain in their life tasks in the midst of chronic exposure to significant traumatic events. We sought to identify risk and protective factors for engagement within the context of ongoing exposure to political violence and social upheaval. We randomly identified and interviewed 1,196 adult residents of the West Bank and Gaza during a period of violent conflict on 3 occasions: (1) September-October 2007, (2) April-May 2008, and (3) October-November 2008.

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Changes in posttraumatic stress disorder and depressive symptoms during cognitive processing therapy: evidence for concurrent change

OBJECTIVE: Trauma-focused psychotherapies reduce both posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and co-occurring depression. However, little is known about the relationship between changes in PTSD and depression during treatment. This study examined the association between changes in PTSD and depression during the course of cognitive processing therapy (CPT) and its treatment components. METHOD: Data were drawn from a dismantling trial investigating the comparative efficacy of the components of CPT (Resick, Galovski, et al., 2008).

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Bonding after trauma: on the role of social support and the oxytocin system in traumatic stress

This paper outlines the state of affairs in psychobiological research on psychotrauma and PTSD with a focus on the role of the oxytocin system in traumatic stress. With a high prevalence of trauma and PTSD in the Netherlands, new preventive and therapeutic interventions are needed.

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Beyond resilience and PTSD: Mapping the heterogeneity of responses to potential trauma

The formal acceptance of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a legitimate diagnostic category in the 1980 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders stimulated a torrent of research on psychological trauma. Not surprisingly, PTSD and its treatment had dominated that research. Another common approach has been to measure the average impact of different potentially traumatic events, as well as the factors that inform that impact.

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