How is one supposed to react to the violent end met by one of the world’s most violent men? Some people took to the streets cheering and chanting, “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!” Others experienced quiet relief that a terrorist had been …
post traumatic stress disorder
Tending to Japan’s Psychological Scars: What Hurts, What Helps
Even seen on tiny screens from thousands of miles away, the images of destruction in Japan are devastating. The emotional aftermath seems unimaginable, and yet once the immediate crisis is over, the survivors will certainly be …
Ecstasy as Therapy: Have Some of its Negative Effects Been Overblown?
Although ecstasy (MDMA) — a drug best known for enhancing feelings of empathy and love — has been demonized by parents and politicians, researchers have been quietly studying its potentially therapeutic effects, and they’ve …
Having an Abortion Doesn’t Lead to Depression
Having an abortion has got to be an excruciating decision, no matter where you fall on the abortion-rights spectrum, but a new study shows it does not increase the likelihood of mental-health problems.
Study: Screening Before Deployment Protects Soldiers’ Mental Health
Screening troops for mental health problems before they deploy helps protect them from developing psychiatric or behavioral problems in the field and from requiring clinical care for combat stress, according to findings from an …
Q&A: Terrorism Expert Jessica Stern on Her Own Terror and Trauma
For decades, Jessica Stern had been one of the nation’s leading experts on terrorism. She served on the staff of President Clinton’s National Security Council and on the Council on Foreign Relations.
For many soldiers, mental trauma lingers at home
Roughly one in ten soldiers returning from Iraq faces ongoing struggles due to post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and other conditions, according to a new study published in the June issue of the Archives of Psychiatry. In the study, a team of researchers led by Dr. Jeffrey L. Thomas, chief of military psychiatry at the
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Morphine may reduce PTSD risk after traumatic injury
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a growing problem in the U.S., driven largely by the prevalence of the condition among soldiers and other military personnel returning from war in Iraq and Afghanistan. PTSD, which is characterized by feelings of numbness, depression, guilt, vivid nightmares and disrupted sleep, among other
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PTSD in children linked with poor memory function
In children, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may inhibit the function of a brain region associated with memory, according to a new study published online today in the Journal of Pediatric Psychiatry. In an effort to better understand how trauma may impact brain function in children, researchers at Stanford University School of
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Dude, Where’s my Trauma? Marijuana Could Treat PTSD
Many millions have been made in Hollywood by lampooning the acute effects of marijuana on memory—but Israeli researchers suggest that they might one day be harnessed to prevent or treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). And today’s election results bringing medical marijuana dispensaries to yet another state suggest that day …