'All for ourselves and nothing for other people' seems in every age of the world to have been the vile maxim of the masters of mankind. -Adam Smith "All the 'truth' in the world adds up to one big lie." Bob Dylan "Idealism precedes experience, cynicism follows it." Anon

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)


  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

    What is post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD?

    Complex PTSD: National Center for PTSD

    Recommended DSM diagnostic criteria, per "Trauma and Recovery" by Judith Herman M.D.

    Chapter Six of "Trauma & Recovery" by Judith Lewis Herman, M.D.

    Books That Changed My Life: "Trauma & Recovery" by Judith Herman, M.D. 


    PILOT Database: An Electronic Index to Traumatic Stress Literature

  • Scientists say they are moving ever closer to being able to diagnose Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) using a brain scanner. "It is not actually hard to diagnose PTSD - all you need is a decent mental health professional." "The real challenge is to persuade people to come forward for help. "
  • "The sort of stigma that PTSD is some kind of weakness may be overcome to some extent by establishing, by further confirming, that it's really changes in the brain and that we have objective measures of these changes.
  • Emotional memories of traumatic life events such as accidents, war experiences or serious illnesses are stored in a particularly robust way by the brain. This renders effective treatment very difficult.
  • Scientists have consistently linked sleep disturbances to an increased risk of suicidal behaviour in people with psychiatric disorders and in adolescents.
  • Patients with principal diagnoses of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and bipolar disorder had the highest number of diagnoses.
  • PTSD causes the body to release stress hormones, which leads to the inflammation and damage to the arteries and cardiovascular system damage. Stress hormones also tend to reduce the amount of inflammation-reducing cortisol in the body--though researchers

  • Marijuana could prevent post-traumatic stress symptoms
    Cannabinoids (marijuana) administration after experiencing a traumatic event blocks the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)-like symptoms in rats, according to a new study conducted at the University of Haifa and published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.

    Cannabinoids Prevent the Development of Behavioral and Endocrine Alterations in a Rat Model of Intense Stress   (abstract of study)

    Cannabinoids have recently emerged as a possible treatment of stress- and anxiety-related disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Here, we examined whether cannabinoid receptor activation could prevent the effects of traumatic stress on the development of behavioral and neuroendocrine measures


  • Medical marijuana may have a host of advantages over other treatments for traumatized vets, but the VA won't even study its efficacy.
  • Other research suggests that both pharmacotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy can be partially effective for PTSD when given three months or more after a traumatic event.
  • A new study indicates traumatic events and PTSD symptoms may be followed in some cases by a size reduction in a part of the brain called the hippocampus.

    Can Psychedelics Make You Happier?
    Research suggests that psychedelics may be better than antidepressants, which tend to dampen or suppress psychological problems without necessarily curing them.

    An experimental study that treats PTSD veterans with the drug MDMA could make life after war a lot more livable.
  • Ecstasy may help suffers of post-traumatic stress learn to deal with their memories more effectively by encouraging a feeling of safety, according to an article in the Journal of Psychopharmacology published by SAGE.
  • At last the incurably traumatized may be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. And controversially, ecstasy may be key to taming their demons.
  • "There is no cure for PTSD, especially in a magic pill. Good old-fashioned talk therapy and support groups are tried and true … all the others are just quick fixes that add to the problem, not addressing the root of the problem."
  • We all know a good cry helps to soothe our minds. Now doctors are discovering that tears may help to heal our bodies, too.
  • bodies, too.

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