Assisted Animal Therapy: ReAnimal
AnxietyMood Disorders1 moreAssisted animal therapy (AAT) is getting more and more used worldwide, in such areas as gerontology, psychiatry, or oncology. It is a complementary therapy, and benefits for patients are various, including decrease of anxiety. In ICU, some case reports exist, but no study has ever been made in order to prove its benefits, not even its feasibility. In ReAnimal, the investigator aims to compare a group of patients receiving assisted animal therapy, versus a group of patients not receiving it. Primary objective will be the evolution of anxiety scores between the 2 groups of patients. Secondary objectives will be the comparison of mood scores, post traumatic stress syndrome scores, pain scores, and physiologic parameters such as blood pressure, cardiac frequency. The investigating team will also compare multi drug resistant bacteria incidence between the 2 groups. In the assisted animal therapy group, patients will also be asked to answer a satisfaction questionnaire.
Biopsychosocial Effect of Service Dog Training on Post-traumatic Stress (PTS) and Post Concussive...
Post-traumatic Stress DisorderPosttraumatic Stress Disorder1 morePreliminary clinical evidence suggests that Service Members with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or Post Traumatic Stress (PTS) who participate in the Service Dog Training Program (SDTP) report improved physical and psychological outcomes, including those with overlapping symptoms associated with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post-concussion symptoms (PCS). This study intends to examine the psychological, social, and biological effects of learning how to train a future service dog combined with standard of care for individuals with symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS), including those with overlapping TBI and persistent Post-Concussive Symptoms (PCS). Biological, social, and behavioral measures will be collected throughout study participation.
TIMBER Psychotherapy and Ketamine Single Infusion in Chronic PTSD
PTSDBackground: The poor prognosis and public health burden of PTSD necessitates the development of more effective and broader treatment approaches. In the etiopathogenesis of PTSD, trauma memories become ingrained into key brain areas through conditioned learning and are triggered by various situations of daily life. The brain glutamate system plays a key role in the process of trauma learning and trauma memories via long-term potentiation. Ketamine administration modulates the glutamate system and has been used in the treatment of depression and PTSD. Previous studies demonstrate that a single low dose of ketamine rapidly improves symptoms of refractory PTSD and treatment resistant depression. Unfortunately the observed response is short-lived (4-7 days, maximum up to 2 weeks) and multiple doses often produce unacceptable side effects. TIMBER (Trauma Interventions using Mindfulness Based Extinction and Reconsolidation for trauma memory) psychotherapy, is a manualized and translational mindfulness based cognitive behavioral therapy specifically designed to target trauma memories and their expressions in PTSD patients. The placebo controlled pilot study examined the efficacy of a protocol combining a single infusion of low dose ketamine (0.5mg/kg) and TIMBER psychotherapy in subjects suffering from chronic PTSD. The objective of this pilot study was to optimize and individualize treatment of chronic PTSD using a rapid, effective, trauma specific, user friendly and inexpensive approach that uses cutting edge psychopharmacological combined with novel psychotherapeutic approaches. Methodology: The randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled pilot study used a crossover design. Ten subjects with refractory PTSD were assigned to one of two arms: one arm (n=5) received combined ketamine infusion and TIMBER therapy (TIMBER-K arm) and the second (n=5) received combined placebo (normal saline) infusion and TIMBER therapy (TIMBER-P arm). All 10 subjects received a short version of TIMBER therapy after 10 minutes of onset of the infusion in which reactivation of trauma memories was initiated in a controlled manner using standardized scales and scripted narrative of the index trauma. This was followed by a standardized mindfulness based cognitive therapy module to quickly de-escalate the arousal symptoms followed by induction of detached observation and reappraisal of the trauma experience. After completion of the 40-min infusion, all subjects were trained on the full version of TIMBER therapy using methods of mindfulness based graded exposure therapy and a twice-daily schedule of home practice was initiated. The investigators are currently in a process of recruiting fifty more subjects to examine the effects in a larger sample.
The Effects of Perioperative Painting Art Therapy (LOM® Solution Centered Art Therapy) in Surgical...
Lower Gastrointestinal Neoplasms BenignPancreas Cancer3 moreThe investigators want to study whether the use of painting art therapy has an influence on the quality of life, the complication rate and the general outcome of major abdominal surgery. The painting art therapy is carried out according to the protocol of (LOM® Solution Centered Art Therapy) by trained painting art therapists.
Development of Mental Health Outcomes Following the 2020 Petrinja Earthquake
Mental Health DisorderPost Traumatic Stress Disorder3 moreOn 29 December 2020, an earthquake struck Petrinja in Croatia. The aim of this study is to assesses prevalence of symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, and panic disorder among exposed inhabitants and examine the effect of family therapy on mental health as part of a public health emergency response and rapid assessment.
FAAH Availability in Psychiatric Disorders: A PET Study
Post Traumatic Stress DisorderAlcohol Use Disorder1 moreThe aim of the present study is to examine Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase (FAAH) availability in humans, including healthy individuals and across a spectrum of psychiatric disorders in which alterations in the endocannabinoid system are observed.
Treatment Effects of Narrative Exposure Therapy
Posttraumatic Stress DisorderThis study compares Narrative Exposure Therapy with a Waiting list control group, both consists of traumatized patients with diagnosed Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. The main aim is to investigate if the patients psychiatric symptoms and levels of the stress hormone cortisol will improve more after Narrative Exposure Therapy than the Waiting list (i.e. no intervention).
Feasibility Study: The Effect of Prazosin for Nighttime Symptoms of Civilian PTSD
Stress DisordersPost-TraumaticInvestigating the effect of prazosin for nighttime symptoms of civilian Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.
Add on Study on Δ9-THC Treatment for Posttraumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD)
Posttraumatic Stress DisordersStress Disorder (PTSD) is a chronic and debilitating anxiety disorder which is widespread in every social level and is very prevalent in outpatient and inpatient settings. A recent open-label study showed that the synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonist Nabilone had beneficial effects abolishing or greatly reducing nightmares that persisted in spite of treatment with conventional PTSD medications. Furthermore, a big number of patients suffering from chronic PTSD report using smoked marijuana because its tranquilizing effect and sleep quality improvement. According to clinical and epidemiological data different derivates from the cannabis plant are illegally and pervasively consumed by PTSD patients in order to reduce distress. The aim of the proposed study is to broaden the previous observations and to measure the extent to which Δ 9-THC will bring to significant improvement on the full spectrum of PTSD symptoms.
Change of Neural Network Indicators Through Narrative Treatment of PTSD in Torture Victims
PTSDEffective Treatment of PTSD involves talking about the traumatic event in detail.It is unclear how this process influences the sensory-specific trauma network (fear structure)in the traumatized person. The goal of the project is to test the hypothesis that treatment-facilitated recovery does not change the original fear structure but establishes an inhibitory mechanism that depends on verbal activity. An affective visual steady-state paradigm in magnetencephalography (MEG) using positive, aversive and neutral picture stimuli will be used to examine the spatial and temporal pattern of the processing of emotional stimuli. To examine the effects of treatment this paradigm will be used as outcome measure within a randomized controlled trial of Narrative Exposure Therapy and a waiting-list control condition for severely traumatized torture victims.