Articles Tagged ‘post traumatic stress’

BioPsychoSocial Health | By April 16, 2008 | By Lindsey Kay, MD | 0 Comments

A Genetic Susceptibility to PTSD?

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been in the news a lot lately, primarily due to the prevalence of PTSD in Iraq war veterans. PTSD can occur following any severely stressful event, and recent research has shown that some individuals are genetically “at-risk” for its development.

A study of adult victims of childhood trauma compared the occurrence of PTSD and genetic variations in the FKBP5 gene, which is related to stress response. Not surprisingly, the study found that both abusive and nonabusive childhood traumatic events were linked to the development of PTSD. In addition, four specific variations of the FKBP5 gene significantly increased the risk of PTSD in child abuse victims. This effect was still present after controlling for depression severity, age, sex, and the occurrence of other kinds of trauma. Read more →

The Top Ten Secrets in the Mental Health Field, Part II | February 12, 2008 | 1 Comment

I am maintaining a list of the top ten “secrets” in the mental health field. Here is Part II, items five up to the big number one (items six to ten are can be found in Part I): 1. Cognitive problems Cognitive disabilities can have a tremendous effect on people who appear to be fairly high... Read more →

Mind-Brain Connection: PTSD and Concussions | February 05, 2008 | 2 Comments

The February 1st edition of the New England Journal of Medicine reports that suffering a concussion in Iraq after a bomb attack was strongly associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Read more → Read More →

Brain Blogging, Nineteenth Edition | October 15, 2007 | 3 Comments

Welcome to the nineteenth edition of Brain Blogging — a semi-monthly blog carnival that aims to review posts “related to the brain and mind that go beyond the basic sciences into a more human and multidimensional perspective.” Read more → Read More →

Curb Domestic Violence/Abuse and Slash the Incidence of Mental Disorders | July 21, 2007 | 1 Comment

A new study presented by the World Health Organization points to the international community’s efforts to curb interpersonal violence and its mental and physical consequences. This past week nearly 200 experts on violence prevention assembled in Scotland for “Milestones 2007,” a gathering... Read more →

Anxiety - More Than Just a Case of Nerves | March 30, 2006 | 0 Comments

Until a few days ago, I’d never heard of the Center for Gender Equity and National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health. That’s when I viewed the program “Anxiety Disorders: More Than a Case of Nerves”. The keynote speaker was Ellen Haller, M.D., Professor Director of... Read more →

Living with a Brain Disorder: Nicole, 26-30, Bipolar & PTSD | March 25, 2006 | 0 Comments

Interviewee: Nicole, age 26-30, from Washington was diagnosed with “Bipolar 2 Disorder, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)”. I became depressed many years ago when I was 21 years old. It started after I had flashbacks to my childhood where it began to show me I was molested by someone.... Read more →

Should Basic Health Insurance Cover Mental Health? | February 27, 2006 | 6 Comments

Last night I decided to hide from the subfreezing temperatures outside by settling down with a warm cup of mint tea and my newly arrived health insurance policy. In a effort to make my task more tolerable, I decided that I would read it through a biopsychosocial lens. Most noticeable among the stacks... Read more →