We investigated the relationship between plasma levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF) and responses to eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) in complex post-traumatic stress disorder (complex PTSD). Before and after EMDR, plasma levels of neurotrophic factors and scores in the indices of self-questionnaires were obtained for eight men with complex PTSD. Baseline plasma levels of BDNF and NGF of responders and of non-responders were compared. The plasma BDNF levels of responders were higher than those of non-responders.

AbstractBackgroundThe polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) composition of (nerve) cell membranes may be involved in the pathophysiology of depression. Studies so far, focussed mainly on omega-3 and omega-6 PUFAs. In the present study, saturated fatty acids (SFAs), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and PUFAs of the omega-3, -6 and -9 series in plasma and erythrocytes of patients with recurrent major depressive disorder (MDD-R) were compared with controls.Methodology and Principal FindingsWe carried out a case-control study.

This study examined psychological distress and somatic complaints in 105 earthquake survivors (30 men and 75 women) recruited at two time points: 7 and 14 months posttrauma. More then 80% of the subjects developed PTSD. This study demonstrates the necessity to explore psychotraumatic symptoms in patients referred for somatic complaints.

Strong memory of a traumatic event is thought to contribute to the development and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Therefore, a genetic predisposition to build strong memories could lead to increased risk for PTSD after a traumatic event. Here we show that genetic variability of the gene encoding PKC? (PRKCA) was associated with memory capacity-including aversive memory-in nontraumatized subjects of European descent. This finding was replicated in an independent sample of nontraumatized subjects, who additionally underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

Hoe is de biografie van verzetsheld Pim Boellaard te benutten voor overdracht en educatie? Het antwoord ligt besloten in het verhaal van zijn leven. Maurits Nibbering, voormalig directeur van Nationaal Monument Kamp Amersfoort, pleit voor meer studies als die over Boellaard. Ze zijn onmisbaar voor educatie op een herinneringsplek als Kamp Amersfoort.

The general aim of this thesis was to examine how nurses can use photography to assist psychiatric patients in making meaning of experiences of illness and to help them in the process of recovery. The study is based on a hermeneutic-phenomenological perspective, focusing on processes of experiencing and meaning making in the life world. Existential issues, e.g. the way how people give meaning to their suffering, play an important role in this process of being-in-the world.

Several lines of research have demonstrated that memories for fearful events become transiently labile upon re-exposure. Activation of molecular mechanisms is required in order to maintain retrieved information. This process is called reconsolidation. Targeting reconsolidation - as in exposure-based psychotherapy - offers therefore a potentially interesting tool to manipulate fear memories, and subsequently to treat disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Aggressive behaviour is an important problem in mental health care. Aggressive behaviour does not only affect staff and other patients, but also has a negative impact on the patient self. Studies have shown that aggressive patients have a longer stay on psychiatric wards compared to non-aggressive patients. In psychiatric wards, several interventions are used to manage aggressive behaviour. In the Netherlands, seclusion has for decades been a highly common intervention to manage (imminent) aggression. During recent years, however, the use of seclusion has been heavily criticized.

Het psychobiologisch persoonlijkheidsmodel ontwikkeld door Cloninger omvat vier dimensies van temperament en drie dimensies van karakter. Studies hebben aangetoond dat deze persoonlijkheidsdimensies verschillen tussen patiënten die lijden aan een depressie en controlepersonen zonder depressie.
doel: Nagaan of er verschillen bestaan in persoonlijkheidskenmerken tussen personen die in het verleden een depressieve episode doormaakten en daarvan volledig herstelden, en personen die nooit depressief geweest zijn.

Aim of the present three-wave study was to examine to what extent personality traits and general self-efficacy measured before exposure to a potentially traumatic event (PTE) prospectively predict coping self-efficacy (CSE) perceptions, and to test whether outcomes are biased by the timing of assessment of personality traits. The study was conducted within a large probability-based multi-wave representative internet panel in the Netherlands (Ntotal = 1154)