Traumatic exposure is a common experience among children and may have severe and long lasting effects on child’s mental well-being and development. This dissertation reports on children who have been exposed to one or more potentially traumatic events during their lives and focuses on identifying those children suffering from psychological trauma. The results presented in this thesis expand current knowledge with regard to the definition of a traumatic event and the different traumatic stress profiles between single trauma and child maltreatment.

The primary focus of this dissertation was to increase the knowledge about possible biological factors and psychopathological mechanisms (including HPA-axis functioning, one-carbon and fatty-acid metabolism), as well as some gene-environment interactions for the course of recurrent MDD (MDD-R). Studying MDD-R is important because there are indications that it represents a more biological and genetic determined MDD-subtype, which may be specifically linked to recurrence and CVD-risk.

Conclusion: There are no specific drugs for PTSD, except for the treatment of irritability and depressive features with SSRI. Atypical neuroleptics have been more recently been introduced as well as mood stabilizers. Other options are specific serotonergic agents such as 5-HT 1A antagonists, NA-blockers, CRF antagonists, GC-receptor antagonists, prazosin and á1-adrenergic blocker with nightmares, use of â-blockers early after trauma exposure are investigated.

OBJECTIVE: Identifying mediators of therapeutic change is important to the development of interventions and augmentation strategies. Threat reappraisal is considered a key mediator underlying the effects of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety disorders. The present study systematically reviewed the evidence for the threat reappraisal mediation hypothesis.

Psychiatric illnesses are under polygenic influence and are associated with interactions between genetic variants and environmental exposures.1 Gene–environment interactions might not only predict onset of disease, but genetic biomarkers might also help the clinician to select the optimal treatment for patients.2 However, there is a lack of studies on therapygenetics for psychological treatment of psychiatric diseases.

Both depression and obesity share similar risk factors and are mutually associated. Amongobese people, depression is one of the most common psychiatric disorders 1. Studies inpersons seeking treatment for mood disorders like depression indicate that obesity andoverweight are common problems in these groups 2, 3.

This book provides a critical road map for educators who want to move far beyond the current reliance on the woefully inadequate violence prevention laws, crisis management plans, and school safety policies in place today. The author describes the characteristics of effective programs and the many elements that impact school safety, and then masterfully guides readers through the specific steps needed to design and implement a powerful, comprehensive safe school plan.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic psychiatric disorder characterized by intrusive re-experiencing symptoms, avoidance behaviors, elevated arousal, and changes in cognition and mood. Nearly all individuals with PTSD suffer from at least one additional psychiatric diagnosis. Prolonged exposure is one of several evidence-based treatments for PTSD that has been efficacious for PTSD sufferers with a range of comorbid disorders. In this review, we first discuss the prevalence of PTSD comorbidity and the challenges that it presents to clinicians working with traumatized patients.

AbstractTruth telling has come to play a pivotal role in postconflict reconciliation processes around the world. A common claim is that truth telling is healing and will lead to reconciliation. The present study applies recent psychological research to this issue by examining whether witnessing in the gacaca, the Rwandan village tribunals for truth and reconciliation after the 1994 genocide, was beneficial for psychological health.