PTSD and Families

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can develop in survivors of disturbing or dangerous events and causes chronic and debilitating anxiety. Moreover, the symptoms of PTSD often put considerable strains on a trauma victim’s family. Traumatic stress can profoundly change a victim’s personality. The afflicted family member may become more withdrawn, cold and irritable. In severe cases, …

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Mice Study Shows Brain Patterns Linked to Schizophrenia

Researchers with the University of California (UC), San Francisco, have identified abnormalities in the brain activity of mice that could be linked to schizophrenia symptoms in humans. These abnormalities may contribute to difficulties in learning, concentration and decision-making, the study suggests. Previous research has found a connection between schizophrenia and a group of neurons in …

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PTSD Myths Busted

There are a lot of misconceptions out there about post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Make sure you know fact from fiction; here are some widespread PTSD myths debunked: Myth: PTSD isn’t a ‘real’ illness. PTSD is a psychological disease that occurs when someone lives through a traumatic event. Research has shown surviving life-threatening or extremely disturbing …

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“Moving On” is Harder for People with Depression, Study Says

  People with depression may have a harder time getting past social rejection, a recent study finds. PET scans of depressed people’s brains showed that the distress of rejection lasted longer for them than for healthy people. “Every day we experience positive and negative social interactions. Our findings suggest that a depressed person’s ability to …

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What Happens When Your Partner Has Schizophrenia?

  When one spouse in a marriage has schizophrenia, it is often because they met before the onset of the illness. “Schizophrenia makes it hard for people to form close bonds. People tend to stay single,” says schizophrenia expert Dr. Dost Ongur. The onset of schizophrenia can be jarring for the healthy spouse. Someone you …

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Study Challenges Theory behind Current Antidepressants

  For almost 50 years, the consensus among neuroscientists has been that low serotonin levels in the brain’s synapses trigger the symptoms of depression. Guided by this theory, researchers developed selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a common antidepressant that seeks to boost serotonin. But a new report is challenging all those assumptions. Researchers at the …

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Hot Flashes Could Last 7 to 12 Years, Study Finds

  A new study conducted at the Wake Forest School of Medicine finds that most women experience symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes, for seven years or more. Published in JAMA Internal Medicine the study authors call for more research on safe long-term treatments to keep hot flashes under control. “Women should not be …

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Five Risk Factors for Opioid Dependence You Ought to Know

Over the past decade, the rate of opioid prescriptions has risen significantly, leading many doctors to fear growing levels of dependence and abuse. In order to identify some of the factors that influence a person’s risk of becoming dependent, a team of researchers combed over patient data from the electronic records of the Geisinger Health …

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