Psychobiology of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder


Book Description

Less than twenty years ago the field of mental health did not have the language to describe the long-term consequences of traumatic stress. In the absence of specific biological markers, the psychological symptoms of trauma survivors were often attributed to neurotic or even psychotic disorders. But in 1980, after more than a century of clinical observations, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was recognized as a diagnosis. By the 1990s, biological findings began to provide objective validation that PTSD is more than a politically or socially motivated conceptualization of human suffering. This volume summarizes the latest findings in this rapidly changing field, including the biological differences between PTSD, stress, and other psychiatric disorders Chief among the findings is that PTSD is a different disorder than was originally thought, and that the biology of PTSD is not simply the biology of stress. Topics include the empirical basis for post-traumatic stress disorder; psychobiological findings; neurodevelopmental effects of trauma; neurological basis of traumatic and non-traumatic memory impairment in post-traumatic stress disorder; how basic research informs clinical observations; and the psychobiology of treatment.




Textbook of Biological Psychiatry


Book Description

A Textbook of Biological Psychiatry integrates the basic science concerning brain mechanisms of psychiatric disorders alongside surveys of present standard clinical treatment. Organized in a coherent and easy to follow structure, chapters expand across different levels of analysis, from basic mechanisms to clinical practice. This comprehensive reference provides an integrative treatment of the biochemistry of neurotransmission, behavioral pharmacology, and clinical aspects of psychiatric problems including depression, manic-depression, and mood disorders. Other chapters address the biological mechanisms and treatment of depression, anxiety, panic, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and addictions. The editor concludes with a perspective on the future of the field and prospects for understanding and effectively treating mood and anxiety disorders.




Posttraumatic Stress Disorder


Book Description

"At the core of the book is an analysis of how the impact of trauma affects memory and identity. Brewin suggests that there are two forms of memory for trauma, one based in words and one in images. Overwhelming stress on different areas of the brain can lead to a condition in which survivors are lost for words to describe what has happened to them but still experience vivid, detailed, and inescapable images. Trauma also has the ability to bring about profound changes in identity and block normal mechanisms for correcting abnormal memory. Building on this analysis, Brewin provides valuable information on who will be vulnerable to traumatic stress, how to tell whether someone is likely to be suffering from PTSD, why some interventions work and others are ineffective and what could and should be done to help survivors."--BOOK JACKET.




Evolution and Posttraumatic Stress


Book Description

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder remains one of the most contentious and poorly understood psychiatric disorders. Evolution and Posttraumatic Stress provides a valuable new perspective on its nature and causes. This book is the first to examine PTSD from an evolutionary perspective. Beginning with a review of conventional theories, Chris Cantor provides a clear and succinct overview of the history, clinical features and epidemiology of PTSD before going on to introduce and integrate evolutionary theory. Subjects discussed include: The evolution of human defensive behaviours A clinical perspective of PTSD Defence in overdrive: evolution, PTSD and parsimony This original presentation of PTSD as a defensive strategy describes how the use of evolutionary theory provides a more coherent and successful model for diagnosis, greatly improving understanding of usually mystifying symptoms. It will be of great interest to psychiatrists, psychotherapists, psychologists, and anthropologists.




Treating Psychological Trauma and PTSD


Book Description

This volume presents an innovative psychobiological framework for understanding and treating PTSD. A major emphasis is the need to reformulate diagnostic criteria and treatment goals to reflect emerging knowledge about the complex pathways by which trauma disrupts people's lives. Within a holistic, organismic framework, the editors identify 65 PTSD symptoms contained within five (rather than the traditional three) symptom clusters, and spell out 80 target objectives for treatment. Expert contributors then provide detailed presentations of core therapeutic approaches, including acute posttraumatic interventions, cognitive-behavioral approaches, pharmacotherapy, group psychotherapy, and psychodynamic techniques, as well as approaches to working with specific populations, including children, refugees, and the dually diagnosed. The concluding section reviews and synthesizes all case material presented, examining which symptoms are addressed by each of the core approaches, which treatment goals are met, and which clients can most effectively be helped. Combining cutting-edge theoretical exposition with clear-cut recommendations for practice, this is an ideal resource for clinicians, students, and researchers.




The Psychobiology of Trauma and Resilience Across the Lifespan


Book Description

"The importance of examining risk/resilience factors in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) across the lifespan has become increasingly obvious: childhood experiences confer risk/resilience for adulthood experiences and biological predictors and correlates of PTSD appear to differ developmentally." "Research into PTSD has typically been conducted with a focus on either child or adult PTSD, with relatively little overlap or discussion between the two camps. The overall focus of this collection is to bring these two groups of researchers together to examine developmental issues and how they impact biological and psychological risk and resilience factors and treatment issues in PTSD and comorbid disorders."--BOOK JACKET.




PTSD and Forensic Psychology


Book Description

In World War I, they spoke of shell shock. By World War II, the term was battle fatigue. Modern understanding of trauma psychology has evolved to give the concept a non-military name: posttraumatic stress disorder. As such, it has been at the heart of civil and criminal cases from workers' compensation to murder. PTSD and Forensic Psychology brings its topic into real-world focus by examining posttraumatic stress as a clinical entity and taking readers through the evaluation process for court cases involving the PTSD syndrome. This timely reference differentiates between PTSD and disorders that may be mistaken for it, and demonstrates its legal application in seeking civil damages and mounting a criminal defense. An evidence-based framework for conducting a trial-worthy evaluation and guidelines for establishing strong cases and refuting dubious ones further illustrate the protocols and challenges surrounding the status of PTSD in legal settings. For maximum usefulness, the book offers courtroom advice for expert witnesses as well as "practice points" at the end of each chapter. Featured topics include: History of the PTSD concept and its relation to the law. PTSD as syndrome: symptoms, diagnosis, treatment. PTSD and other traumatic disability syndromes. PTSD in the civil litigation and criminal justice systems. PTSD as an insanity defense and in claims of diminished capacity. PTSD cases: evaluation, interpretation, testimony. This thorough yet concise analysis makes PTSD and Forensic Psychology the ideal training tool for beginning mental health expert witnesses, as well as a concise practical review and reference source for seasoned forensic psychologists. It will also serve as a useful practice and teaching guide for attorneys, medical rehabilitation professionals, military personnel, psychotherapists, researchers, and educators in the fields of clinical and forensic psychology, criminology, traumatic stress studies, and mental health law.




What Doesn't Kill Us


Book Description

Surviving a traumatic experience is difficult and takes time to move on from, but this book makes the argument that with proper care and understanding, survivors can grow and reshape their lives in a positive way. For the past twenty years, pioneering psychologist Stephen Joseph has worked with survivors of trauma. His studies have yielded a startling discovery: that a wide range of traumatic events-from illness, divorce, separation, assault, and bereavement to accidents, natural disasters, and terrorism-can act as catalysts for positive change. Boldly challenging the conventional wisdom about trauma and its aftermath, Joseph demonstrates that rather than ruining one's life, a traumatic event can actually improve it. Drawing on the wisdom of ancient philosophers, the insights of evolutionary biologists, and the optimism of positive psychologists, What Doesn't Kill Us reveals how all of us can navigate change and adversity- traumatic or otherwise-to find new meaning, purpose, and direction in life.




Cultural Clinical Psychology and PTSD


Book Description

This book, written and edited by leading experts from around the world, looks critically at how culture impacts on the way posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and related disorders are diagnosed and treated. There have been important advances in clinical treatment and research on PTSD, partly as a result of researchers and clinicians increasingly taking into account how "culture matters." For mental health professionals who strive to respond to the needs of people from diverse cultures who have experienced traumatic events, this book is invaluable. It presents recent research and practical approaches on key topics, including: •How culture shapes mental health and recovery •How to integrate culture and context into PTSD theory •How trauma-related distress is experienced and expressed in different cultures, reflecting local values, idioms, and metaphors •How to integrate cultural dimensions into psychological interventions. Providing new theoretical insights as well as practical advice, it will be of interest to clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, and other health professionals, as well as researchers and students engaged with mental health issues, both globally and locally. For mental health professionals who strive to respond to the needs of people from diverse cultures who have experienced traumatic events, this book is invaluable. It presents recent research and practical approaches on key topics, including: How culture shapes mental health and recovery How to integrate culture and context into PTSD theory How trauma-related distress is experienced and expressed in different cultures, reflecting local values, idioms, and metaphors How to integrate cultural dimensions into psychological interventions. Providing new theoretical insights as well as practical advice, it will be of interest to clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, and other health professionals, as well as researchers and students engaged with mental health issues, both globally and locally.




Torture and Its Consequences


Book Description

A classic publication in this field which serves as a scholarly yet very practical resource.