Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder For Dummies


Book Description

As Dr. Mark Goulston tells his patients who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), "The fact that you’re still afraid doesn’t mean you’re in any danger. It just takes the will and the way for your heart and soul to accept what the logical part of your mind already knows." In Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder For Dummies, Dr. Goulston helps you find the will and shows you the way. A traumatic event can turn your world upside down, but there is a path out of PTSD. This reassuring guide presents the latest on effective treatments that help you combat fear, stop stress in its tracks, and bring joy back into your life. You'll learn how to: Identify PTSD symptoms and get a diagnosis Understand PTSD and the nature of trauma Develop a PTSD treatment plan Choose the ideal therapist for you Decide whether cognitive behavior therapy is right for you Weight the pros and cons of PTSD medications Cope with flashbacks, nightmares, and disruptive thoughts Maximize your healing Manage your recovery, both during and after treatment Help a partner, child or other loved one triumph over PTSD Know when you're getting better Get your life back on track Whether you're a trauma survivor with PTSD or the caregiver of a PTSD sufferer, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder For Dummies, gives you the tools you need to win the battle against this disabling condition.




Conquering Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder


Book Description

More than 13 million Americans experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and one out of 13 adults will develop it in their lifetime. Recent worldwide crises and events including the Iraq war; the September 11th attacks; numerous Columbine-like events; the Catholic Church child molestation scandal; and the Katrina tragedy in New Orleans, continue to present thousands more PTSD cases each year in all age groups. This book helps victims make sense of the events that led to their illness and teaches them how to create a new reality with specific advice and action plans that put them on the road to recovery and long-term healing.




Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder


Book Description

PTSD is in no way an easy diagnosis for the patient, the provider, or the therapist. It is a diagnosis developed at the border of our capacity to handle extreme stress, a marker diagnosis denoting the limits of our capacity for functioning in the stress of this modern world. For both individuals and society, PTSD marks the limits of our available compassion and our capacity to protect ourselves from the dangers of the environment and other humans. PTSD is often a chronic disease, forming at a place where mind sometimes no longer equals the brain, a point at which individual patient requirements often trump theory and belief. There are treatments for PTSD that work, and many that do not. This book presents evidence, rather than theory, anecdote, or case report. Psychological approaches including prolonged exposure, imagery rehearsal therapy and EMDR have a greater than 75% positive short-term response when used to treat PTSD. Yet these treatments vary markedly and have different, even contradictory underlying theory and objectives for treatment. Medications, rarely indicated as primary therapy, can be used to treat symptoms and address comorbid PTSD diagnoses. Treatment of sleep apnea in the PTSD population produces a positive effect on symptoms and a reduction in morbidity and mortality across the span of life. Complementary treatments offer the many individuals chronically affected by PTSD assistance in coping with symptoms and opportunities to attempt to functionally integrate their experience of trauma.







Complex PTSD for Beginners: an Easy Guide


Book Description

"Complex PTSD for Beginners: an Easy Guide", hopes to be a source of information and inspiration for anyone experiencing PTSD or Complex PTSD, or for anyone who loves someone with Complex PTSD. The aim of this book is to provide a framework for self-management and recovery, but it should always be combined with professional help. You are strong enough to do this. Smile in trouble, gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection.Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as its name suggests, is an anxiety disorder that can occur secondary to a stressful or traumatic event like a vehicle accident or natural disasters. However, in recent years, a closely related condition called Complex PTSD (complex post-traumatic stress disorder) is emerging as a new anxiety disorder which is now widely recognized and diagnosed by doctors worldwide. This disorder is called "complex," because it involves repeated trauma over months or years, compared to a single traumatic event that causes simple PTSD. This book, together with other resources and professional help, hopes to help its readers to overcome depression, anxiety, anger & worry associated with PTSD and Complex PTSD. In future updates, it will expand further into how to Improve your moods, regain emotional control, find your purpose after trauma & rise from CPTSD.




Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder


Book Description

Three distinguished experts share cutting-edge insights on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), showing why it occurs, how it affects the development and existence of those it impacts, and how it can be treated. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a comprehensive and thoughtful examination of the nature, causes, and treatment of PTSD. Drawing on the vast experience of its team of authors, the book details the insidious nature and history of PTSD, from the internal and external factors that cause this form of suffering to the ways it manifests itself psychologically and socially. The most cutting-edge research on treatment, intervention, and prevention is thoroughly discussed, as are the spiritual and psychological strengths that can emerge when one progresses beyond the label of "disorder." The book begins with a historical review of the topic. Subsequent chapters offer in-depth exploration of the significant foundations, function, impacts, and treatments associated with PTSD. Each chapter addresses practical issues, incorporating case studies that bring the information to life and ensure an appreciation of the myriad social, psychological, and biological experiences surrounding PTSD. This book answers complex questions like "How does PTSD manifest itself?" and more critically: "How can its effects be mitigated or overcome?" Finally, it discusses how PTSD survivors can move beyond post-traumatic stress to post-traumatic strengths.




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.




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.




The Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Relationship


Book Description

War, physical and sexual abuse, and natural disasters. All crises have one thing in common: Victims often suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and their loved ones suffer right along with them. In this book, couples will learn how to have a healthy relationship, in spite of a stressful and debilitating disorder. They'll learn how to: —Deal with emotions regarding their partner's PTSD —Talk about the traumatic event(s) —Communicate about the effects of PTSD to their children —Handle sexual relations when a PTSD partner has suffered a traumatic sexual event —Help their partner cope with everyday life issues When someone has gone through a traumatic event in his or her life, he or she needs a partner more than ever. This is the complete guide to keeping the relationship strong and helping both partners recover in happy, healthy ways.




Essential Papers on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder


Book Description

A collection of the most important writings on understanding and treating PTSD Essential Papers on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder collects the most important writings on the comprehension and treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Editor Mardi J. Horowitz provides a concise and illuminating introductory essay on the evolution of our understanding of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and establishes the conceptual framework and terminology necessary to understand the disorder. The collected essays which follow provide a rich and comprehensive take on the complexity of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, illuminating such issues as the variety of individual and cultural responses, the roles of pre- and post-traumatic causative forces, and the fluctuating complexities of diagnostic categories. Divided into sections addressing the broad topics of diagnosis, etiology, and treatment, Essential Papers on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder combines classic essays with more challenging and controversial approaches. Contributors include Sigmund Freud, Erich Lindemann, Leo Eitinger, Carol C. Nadelson, Malkah T. Notman, Hannah Zackson, Janet Gornick, Bonnie L. Green, Mary C. Grace, Jacob D. Lindy, James L. Titchener, Joanne G. Lindy, Lenore C. Terr, Rosemarie Galante, Dario Foa, Edna B. Foa, Barbara Olasov Rothbaum, David S. Riggs, Tamara B. Murdock, James H. Shore, Ellie L. Tatum, William M. Vollmer, Roger K. Pittman, Scott P. Orr, Dennis F. Forgue, Bruce Altman, Jacob B. de Jong, Lawrence R. Herz, Judith Lewis Herman, Rachel Yehuda, Alexander McFarlane, Frank W. Putnam, Robert Jay Lifton, Eric Olson, Nancy Wilner, Nancy Kaltrider, William Alvarez, Michael R. Trimble, Epstein, Terence M. Keane, Rose T. Zinering, Juesta M. Caddell, John H. Krystal, Thomas R. Kosten, Steven Southwick, John W. Mason, Bruce D. Perry, Earl L. Giller, David Spiegel, Thurman Hunt, Harvey E. Dondershire, Bessel A. van der Kolk, Peter J. Lang, Robert S. Pynoos, Spencer Eth, Matthew J. Friedman, Francine Shapiro, John P. Wilson, Jacob D. Lindy, I. Lisa McCann, and Laurie Anne Pearlman.