View clinical trials related to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Filter by:Background: Current military involvement in Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom - OEF) and Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom - OIF) has created unforeseen burdens on the mental health and well-being of US service women and men. Although OEF/OIF service members and veterans are at high risk of developing sub-threshold combat stress and depressive symptoms or full disorders in the post-deployment period, only a small fraction ever receive care. The VETS PREVAIL Intervention, which combines Cognitive-Behavioral-Therapy-based (CBT-based) coping skills training with peer-to-peer support and counseling, was specifically designed to offer the returning OEF/OIF service member or veteran an accessible and confidential first step to care. Evaluation Study: RISE Consulting, lead by Dr. Benjamin W. Van Voorhees, MD, MPH, was contracted to supervise a pilot study of potential benefit, feasibility and safety of the VETS PREVAIL Intervention. The study would consist of a single group pre/post comparison study of N=50 recent OEF/OIF veterans in the frame work of a phase 1 clinical trial (phase 1). Feasibility (adherence and satisfaction), evidence of clinical benefit would be evaluated through changes in the following clinical self-report measures: i) symptoms of depressed mood (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, CES-D), ii) post traumatic stress disorder (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Military, PCL-M), and iii) functional status (Short Form 12, SF-12), as well as changes in key attitudes toward mental health care seeking (intent to seek treatment, mental health self-efficacy and stigma).
Post traumatic Stress disorder (PTSD) is a common condition for persons who have served in the Armed services during combat or deployment. Treatments include medications, cognitive behavioral therapy, and other social support mechanisms. Our aim in this project is to critically evaluate the effects of a novel music therapy intervention on the symptoms of PTSD. Estimates developed by the Global Burden of Disease Study reveal that mental illness accounts for over 15% of the burden of disease on health and productivity in established market economies--more than the disease burden caused by all cancers combined.[1] Perhaps no industry has had the burden of mental disorders affect its labor force as severely and pervasively as the Armed Forces. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a common sequelae of severe emotional trauma that is often associated with combat exposure. The condition has been well documented in returning soldiers and is characterized by recurrent and distressing thoughts and feelings related to the trauma, persistent avoidance of reminders of the trauma, and increased arousal that disturbs sleep, concentration, and the ability to modulate anger. Persons suffering from PTSD often have difficulty relating to others, leading to loneliness and isolation, which further intensifies their psychiatric symptoms. Current treatment options for PTSD include psychotherapy, medication management, or a combination of those. Although these treatments have been shown to be effective, returning soldiers are often hesitant to seek and adhere to mental health therapies. PTSD-related avoidance, including difficulty trusting, may serve as a barrier to seeking or completing treatments. Furthermore, some PTSD medications have unacceptable side-effects in some individuals. The need is great, therefore, to identify and promote safe, effective strategies for self-management of PTSD among Veterans.
This preliminary study will examine the differential effects of rTMS on the recall of extinction of conditioned fear in patients suffering from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder ) compared with subjects without PTSD but with high risk of relapse.
The investigators hypothesize that carvedilol, at less then therapeutic doses for cardiac effect, will reduce symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is an exposure-based procedure for the treatment of patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although the efficiency of EMDR-treatment is empirically proven, it remains unclear whether the bilateral stimulation triggered via eye movements has specific effects on treatment outcome. Hypothesis explaining the efficacy of the EMDR treatment are: focussing on the moving hand triggers an orientation reaction, and the duality of alertness focus during trauma exposition causes a distraction of the traumatic topic. Within a randomized controlled study 120 patients will be treated during 8 therapeutical sessions with EMDR with bilateral stimulation or one of two control conditions: EMDR without bilateral stimulation (eyes on a fixed, unmoving hand) and exposition without any visual stimuli to focus attention on. Primary outcome are scores on an interview measure for PTSD symptoms (Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS))as assessed pre-treatment and after treatment (max 8 sessions of psychotherapy). The following hypothesis are investigated in the study: 1. EMDR treatment with bilateral stimulation through eye movements will be followed significant larger reduction in CAPS compared with EMDR treatment without bilateral stimulation (specific treatment effect of eye movements) 2. EMDR with eyes fixed will be followed by a significant larger reduction in CAPS compared with EMDR without external focus (specific treatment effect of distraction)
The purpose of this study is to examine the efficacy of exercise in comparison to wellness education to determine if they can improve the effects of prolonged exposure therapy (PE) in reducing symptoms of anxiety associated with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In addition, the two strategies (i.e., exercise and wellness education) will be compared in terms of improvements in sleep as well as levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). BDNF is a protein that helps to support the survival of existing neurons and stimulate the growth new neurons and synapses. BDNF is important to learning and memory in general and therefore may be associated with the learning and memory as it relates to PE and corresponding symptom PTSD improvement.
1. That the psychotherapeutic intervention - Components-Base Interventions (CBI) - is effective in reducing the severity of mental health symptoms experienced by torture survivors in Southern Iraq. 2. That the psychotherapeutic intervention - Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) - is effective in reducing the severity of mental health symptoms experienced by torture survivors in Southern Iraq.
Functional recovery is of the utmost importance to evaluate in our returning Operation Enduring and Iraqi Freedom Veterans so that we can better understand their needs and experiences during the readjustment process from warzone to civilian life. Although most soldiers are resilient, concerning rates of PTSD (12-20%) and depression (14-15%) have been found, and as many as 24-35% report drinking more alcohol than they intended (Hoge et al., 2004). The current study proposes to follow returning Veterans for a one-year period to evaluate factors that influence the readjustment process and functional impairment. This information should guide the development of early intervention and treatment programs to help recovery.
This is an observational research study whose purposes are to see: 1. if 40 Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy sessions at 1.5 atmospheres (HBOT 1.5) or more (60, or 80 HBOT's) help, worsen, or have no effect on subjects with chronic TBI/PCS (Traumatic Brain Injury/Post-Concussion Syndrome) and/or PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). 2. if improvements or worsening of symptoms can be recorded with computerized and written tests for memory and thinking, and with questionnaires about the subject's quality of life and health. 3. determine the long-term outcome of the treatment. 4. confirm, in large numbers of study participants at multiple sites nationwide, the strong positive results obtained in pilot studies
To examine the effectiveness and clinical care outcomes of cognitive-behavioral therapy interventions at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).