Understanding Post-Traumatic Stress


Book Description

This book examines the latest developments in theory and research in post-traumatic stress disorder. Drawing on the literature exploring personality and social psychology, it presents an integrative model of psychosocial factors affecting adjustment following traumatic stressors. It serves as an innovative contribution to the area as well as an introductory text. A main feature of the book is a series of




Understanding Combat Related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder


Book Description

This introduction to the invisible wound of war, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, explains the historical development of PTSD, its myriad symptoms and the most effective psychological and medical treatments. Combining the basic tenets of cognitive psychotherapy and his own military experience, the author explores such topics as PTSD's effects on families and spouses, fear and anxiety, memory difficulties, feelings of guilt or anger, depression and suicidal thoughts, and others. Because it is a hidden, psychological wound, veterans afflicted with PTSD may find it difficult to understand their symptoms. Veterans and their families can better understand PTSD by reading this book.




Loving Someone with PTSD


Book Description

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can present with a number of symptoms, including anxiety, depression, flashbacks, and trouble sleeping. If your partner has PTSD, you may want to help, but find yourself at a loss. The simple truth is that PTSD can be extremely debilitating—not just for the person who has experienced trauma first-hand, but for their partners as well. And while there are many books written for those suffering from PTSD, there are few written for the people who love them. In Loving Someone with PTSD, renowned trauma expert and author of I Can’t Get Over It!, Aphrodite Matsakis, presents concrete skills and strategies for the partners of those with PTSD. With this informative and practical book, you will increase your understanding of the signs and symptoms of PTSD, improve your communication skills with your loved one, set realistic expectations, and work to create a healthy environment for the both of you. In addition, you will learn to manage your own grief, helplessness, and fear regarding your partner’s condition. PTSD is a manageable disability. While it isn’t your responsibility to rescue your partner or act as his or her therapist, this book will help you be supportive and implement strategies for lessening the negative impact of PTSD—not just for your partner, but for your relationship, and, importantly, for yourself.




Emotion in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder


Book Description

Emotion in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder provides an up-to-date review of the empirical research on the relevance of emotions, such as fear, anxiety, shame, guilt, and disgust to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It also covers emerging research on the psychophysiology and neurobiological underpinnings of emotion in PTSD, as well as the role of emotion in the behavioral, cognitive, and affective difficulties experienced by individuals with PTSD. It concludes with a review of evidence-based treatment approaches for PTSD and their ability to mitigate emotion dysfunction in PTSD, including prolonged exposure, cognitive processing therapy, and acceptance-based behavioral therapy. - Identifies how emotions are central to understanding PTSD. - Explore the neurobiology of emotion in PTSD. - Discusses emotion-related difficulties in relation to PTSD, such as impulsivity and emotion dysregulation. - Provides a review of evidence-based PTSD treatments that focus on emotion.




Translational Research in Traumatic Brain Injury


Book Description

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains a significant source of death and permanent disability, contributing to nearly one-third of all injury related deaths in the United States and exacting a profound personal and economic toll. Despite the increased resources that have recently been brought to bear to improve our understanding of TBI, the developme




Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder


Book Description

This volume brings together the leaders in the field of PTSD research to present an up-to-date summary and understanding of this complex disorder. All of our current knowledge and controversies concerning the diagnosis, epidemiology, course, pathophysiology and treatment are described in detail. The evidence for efficacy for each of the different forms of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy is reviewed. Particular attention is paid to at-risk groups, including minorities, and coverage of PTSD throughout the world is reviewed as well. The authors present state-of-the-art findings in genetics, epigenetics, neurotransmitter function and brain imaging to provide the most current and comprehensive review of this burgeoning field.




Therapist's Guide to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Intervention


Book Description

Sharon Johnson is the author of the best selling Therapist's Guide to Clinical Intervention now in its second edition. In this new book on PTSD, she lends her practical outline format to understanding PTSD assessment, treatment planning, and intervention. The book begins with a summary information on PTSD definition, and prevalence, assessment, and the evidence basis behind different treatment options. The book offers adjunctive skill building resources to supplement traditional therapy choices as well as forms for use in clinical practice. This clinician's guide to diagnosing and treating PTSD is written in a concise format with much of the material in outline or bullet point format, allowing easy understanding of complex material for the busy therapist. The book includes a definition of the disorder, diagnostic criteria, the neurobiology of the disorder, tools and information for diagnosing clients, information on functional impairment, interventions, treatment planning, skill building, and additional clinician resources. - Outlines treatment goals and objectives for DSM-IV PTSD diagnosis - Discusses interventions and the evidence basis for each - Offers skill building resources to supplement treatment - Provides business and clinical forms for use with PTSD patients




Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder


Book Description

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a psychiatric illness that can occur in anyone who has experienced a life-threatening or violent event. The trauma can be due to war, terrorism, torture, natural disasters, violence, or rape. In PTSD the brain areas that are likely to be affected are the hippocampus (memory), amygdala (fear association), the prefrontal cortex (cognitive processing), and the ascending reticular activating system (arousal). The chemical of interest is norepinephrine, which is released during a stressful event and is part of the fight-or-flight response meant to mobilize the body to action.The objective of this title is to outline the neurobiology of post-traumatic stress disorder and provide treatment strategies for clinicians. The chapter material from this book has evolved from a seminar on PTSD held recently under the auspices of the VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston University Medical Center and Harvard Medical School. We propose a book that will focus on the epidemiology, neurobiology, MRI studies, animal models, arousal and sleep issues, clinical trials, and treatment strategies for clinicians. Treatment will cover such topics as guidelines for treating posttraumatic stress disorder, PTSD and the use of mental health services, cognitive intervention therapy, and large scale clinical trials in PTSD. This collection will be a vital source of information to clinicians and neuroscientists.




Understanding Trauma


Book Description

This book analyzes the individual and collective experience of and response to trauma from a wide range of perspectives including basic neuroscience, clinical science, and cultural anthropology. Each perspective presents critical and creative challenges to the other. The first section reviews the effects of early life stress on the development of neural systems and vulnerability to persistent effects of trauma. The second section of the book reviews a wide range of clinical approaches to the treatment of the effects of trauma. The final section of the book presents cultural analyses of personal, social, and political responses to massive trauma and genocidal events in a variety of societies. This work goes well beyond the neurobiological models of conditioned fear and clinical syndrome of post-traumatic stress disorder to examine how massive traumatic events affect the whole fabric of a society, calling forth collective responses of resilience and moral transformation.