ARQ Centrum’45 (en)

Negative post-traumatic cognitions (PTC) are a relevant factor in the development, persistence, and treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Palestinian refugees live under challenging circumstances and have negative future prospects, so negative cognitions might be expected to prevail. It is uncertain whether findings on the relation between PTC and PTSD in other (non-refugee) populations can be generalized to the Palestinian refugee context.

There are few medications with demonstrated efficacy for the treatment of posttraumatic stressdisorder (PTSD). Treatment guidelines have unequivocally designated psychotherapy as a first line treatment for PTSD. Yet, even after psychotherapy, PTSD often remains a chronic illness, with high rates of psychiatric and medical comorbidity. Meanwhile, the search and development of drugs with new mechanisms of action has stalled. Therefore, there is an urgent need to explore not just novel compounds, but novel approaches for the treatment of PTSD.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a disabling psychiatric disorder that develops in approximately 10% of people exposed to trauma. As traumatic events are the point of reference for PTSD symptom onset, the first hours to weeks posttrauma provide opportunities for preventive interventions. In this article, we discuss current evidence on pharmacological preventive interventions for PTSD in adults. We conclude that there are no pharmacological preventive interventions that are ready for routine clinical practice.

Background: Epigenetic mechanisms have been suggested to play a role in the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Here, blood-derived DNA methylation data (HumanMethylation450 BeadChip) collected prior to and following combat exposure in three cohorts of male military members were analyzed to assess whether DNA methylation profiles are associated with the development of PTSD. A total of 123 PTSD cases and 143 traumaexposed controls were included in the analyses.

Increased recognition that grief may turn into a disorder led to the inclusion of Persistent Complex Bereavement Disorder (PCBD) in DSM-5 and Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD) in ICD-11. Four additional criteria sets for disturbed grief have been proposed in recent years: Prigerson et al. proposed criteria for PGD (“PGD-2009″), Maercker et al. presented an ICD-11 beta draft version of PGD (“PGD-BD”), Shear et al. put forth criteria for complicated grief (“CG”), and, recently, criteria for PGD in DSM-5-TR have been proposed.

Background: Previous research has indicated that one out of ten naturally bereaved individuals develops prolonged grief disorder (PGD). Less is known about the prevalence of PGD following unnatural deaths, such as accidents, disasters, suicides, or homicides. The aim of this study was to compute the pooled prevalence of PGD and to determine possible causes of its varied estimates.

Background: Western countries are facing many challenges hosting refugees from several regions in the world. Many of them are severely traumatized and suffer from a variety of mental health symptoms, which complicates the identification and treatment of refugees at risk. This study examined subgroups based on a broad range of psychopathology, and several predictors, including trauma characteristics and gender.

A growing number of studies have examined alterations in white matter organization in people with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) using diffusion MRI (dMRI), but the results have been mixed, which may be partially due to relatively small sample sizes among studies. Altered structural connectivity may be both a neurobiological vulnerability for, and a result of, PTSD.

Background: Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in adolescence has a high prevalence and risk of disability, but current treatments show limited effectiveness and high drop-out and relapse rates. Although the role of distressing experiences that relate to the development and maintenance of MDD has been recognized for decades, the efficacy of a trauma-focused treatment approach for MDD has hardly been studied.

The loss of a loved one through death is usually followed by a funeral and engagement in various grief rituals. We examined the association between the evaluation of the  uneral, the use of grief rituals and grief reactions. Bereaved individuals from the Netherlands completed questionnaires, six months and three years post-loss (n=552/289).