View clinical trials related to Stress Disorders, Traumatic.
Filter by:The purpose of this study is to examine how certain brain chemicals work in patients with Panic Disorder (PD) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) with and without major depressive disorder (MDD). Brain chemicals that regulate emotion, anxiety, sleep, stress hormones, and other body functions bind to serotonin (5-HT1A) and benzodiazepine (BZD) receptors. Evidence suggests that 5-HT1A and BZD receptor function is abnormal in patients with PD, PTSD, and depression. This study will use positron emission tomography (PET) scans to examine BZD and 5-HT1A receptor binding potential in patients with PD and patients with PTSD with and without co-morbid MDD, as well as in healthy volunteers. This study will also determine the effects of the stress hormone cortisol on 5-HT1A and BZD receptors. The current emotional state and psychiatric, medical, and family history of potential participants will be evaluated during an initial telephone interview. After entering the study, participants will be asked questions about general mood, degree of nervousness, and behavior. A physical examination, an electrocardiogram (EKG), and tests of intelligence and cognition will be given. Urine, blood, and saliva samples will be taken. Women will be given pregnancy tests and tests to determine menstrual phase and time of ovulation. All volunteers will undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and PET scans of the brain.
The purpose of this study is to use brain imaging technology to examine the brain activity of adolescents with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or major depressive disorder (MDD) before and after treatment. Adults with PTSD or MDD exhibit abnormalities in the structure and function of certain parts of the brain. Although PTSD and MDD are psychiatric disorders that often emerge in childhood, the relationship between these disorders and brain structures has not been thoroughly studied in adolescents with the disorders. This study will use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to study the parts of the brain that are involved in PTSD and MDD in adolescents. Adolescents with PTSD and/or MDD will be enrolled along with healthy adolescents with or without a history of abuse. Healthy adults will also be enrolled. Participants will be screened with a physical examination; blood tests; and interviews about mood, general degree of nervousness, and behavior. Adolescents and their parents will be interviewed separately and together. Following the interviews, participants will undergo psychological tests. Participants with PTSD and/or MDD will have two weekly sessions of talk therapy. Participants who continue to experience PTSD or MDD symptoms after the talk therapy may continue the talk therapy alone, begin treatment with fluoxetine (Prozac ) alone, or begin fluoxetine in addition to the talk therapy. Participants who take fluoxetine will have blood collected before treatment and 8 weeks after treatment has begun. If participants do not respond to the treatment, the treatment will be stopped and the participants will be offered another treatment. Participants who respond to treatment will continue treatment at NIH until a referral to an outside physician is made. Depending on the experiment in which they are enrolled, participants will undergo one or four MRI scans. Participants who will have four MRI scans will undergo the scans on separate days. During the MRI, participants will complete tasks on a computer. Saliva samples will be collected before and after the scans. Participants with PTSD and/or MDD will collect their saliva one or two days before the MRI scan.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that follows exposure to an extremely traumatic stressors. PTSD is associated with serious symptoms. While numerous approaches have been used to treat PTSD, these treatments have several limiting factors. This study will evaluate a combination of the drugs clonazepam and paroxetine for the treatment of PTSD symptoms. The main goal of treatment in patients with PTSD is to significantly reduce symptom severity and improve functioning. While numerous approaches have been used to treat PTSD, these treatments are limited by variable response rates, up to a 6-week lag period before clinical response, and sub-optimal side effect profile, including possible worsening of anxiety and insomnia prior to clinical response. The proposed study will examine whether combined treatment with a benzodiazepine (clonazepam) and a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (paroxetine) in patients with PTSD will accelerate the onset of clinical response. A second goal is to evaluate whether the rapid and clinically meaningful benefits are sustained until the end of the study, despite tapering off the benzodiazepine at the midpoint of the study. The safety and tolerability of a combination of paroxetine and clonazepam will be compared to paroxetine and placebo (an inactive pill) in the treatment of PTSD. Participants in this study will be randomly assigned to receive either paroxetine plus clonazepam or paroxetine plus a placebo for 12 weeks. Participants will have weekly clinic visits for the first 4 weeks of the study and every other week for the last 8 weeks. Symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, and depression will be evaluated and drug side effects will be noted during the follow-up visits.
This is a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study lasting 8 weeks. Purpose of the study is two-fold: first, to use a pharmacological agent to treat symptoms of PTSD, and second, to explore neurobiological mechanisms of action of guanfacine.
This study will evaluate naltrexone and cognitive-behavioral therapy treatments for alcohol dependence and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Subjects will be randomly assigned a 6-month treatment of either: 1) naltrexone alone, 2) naltrexone with PTSD psychosocial therapy, 3) a placebo with PTSD psychosocial therapy, or 4) placebo alone. An enhanced medication management intervention will accompany all treatment conditions. Follow-up assessments will be completed at 9 and 12 months after treatment.
Posttraumatic stress disorder occurs in patients who have experienced, witnessed or have been confronted with an event involving actual death or the threat of death, serious injury, or the threat to physical health and felt fear, helplessness, or horror. As a result, patients continue to re-experience, recollect, dream, or have flashbacks about the traumatic incident. Research on PTSD continues to show metabolic changes in specific areas of the brain in patients diagnosed with PTSD. For example, neuroimaging studies (functional MRI and PET scans) reveal that blood flow and glucose utilization increases in the right frontal, limbic, and paralimbic areas of the brain in patients with PTSD, particularly when they are recalling the traumatic event associated with their symptoms. One potential method for interfering with the neuronal circuitry associated with traumatic memories is through the use of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). This technique involves the placement of a cooled electromagnet with a figure-eight coil on the patient's scalp and rapidly turning on and off the magnetic flux. This permits non-invasive, relatively localized stimulation of the surface of the brain (cerebral cortex). The effect of magnetic stimulation varies, depending upon the location, intensity and frequency of the magnetic pulses. Preliminary clinical data shows that low frequency rTMS stimulation leads to a decrease in regional cerebral blood flow. This study is designed to determine if rTMS stimulation in patients diagnosed with PTSD leads to symptomatic improvement, reductions in blood flow to specific areas of the brain, and improvements in the regulation of the autonomic nervous system.
This study will investigate the use of sertraline (Zoloft) to decrease alcohol consumption and crime-related post-traumatic stress disorder in those individuals with both disorders. This will be a 12-week, placebo-controlled, double-blind outpatient trial. All subjects will receive cognitive behavioral therapy in addition to a placebo or sertraline. Comprehensive evaluation will be done at study entry; treatment termination; and 6, 9, and 12 months after study entry.
The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of two psychological therapies used to treat PTSD in children who have recently been sexually abused: Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) vs Child Centered Therapy (CCT). Child sexual abuse is a common experience that has serious mental health consequences, including the development of PTSD and other abuse-related problems. All children will be assigned randomly (like tossing a coin) to receive either SAS-CBT or NST at each of two sites. In addition, the parents and the child will receive individual therapy for 12 weeks. The child will be monitored to evaluate his/her response to therapy. Assessments will take place before and just following treatment, and then 6 and 12 months post-treatment. A child may be eligible for this study if he/she: Has been sexually abused, is suffering from PTSD as a result of the abuse, and is 8 to 14 years old.
The purpose of this study is to compare two treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): fluoxetine (an antidepressant) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR, a psychological treatment in which the patient is led through the memory of a traumatic experience in order to heal him/herself). There are a variety of therapies used to treat PTSD, but the effectiveness of medication alone vs an exposure treatment, such as EMDR, has not been tested. Patients will be assigned randomly (like tossing a coin) to one of three groups for 8 weeks of treatment. Group 1 will receive fluoxetine; Group 2 will receive EMDR; and Group 3 will receive inactive placebo. Patients will then stop treatment and have evaluations, including psychological tests, at the time treatment is stopped, 8 weeks later, and at 6 months. An individual may be eligible for this study if he/she: Has PTSD and is 18 to 65 years old.