Active clinical trials for "Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic"

PTSD is a debilitating mental disorder that may develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event. With appropriate care, treatment efficiency is variable and around 20% of the patients do not respond to psychological treatment. Complementary treatments are needed. as PTSD implied autonomic nervous system (ANS) dysfonction, complementary treatment focusing on ANS regulation, as welle as musicotherapy, may have an interest.

This study evaluates the effects of transcranial infrared laser stimulation (TILS) on prefrontal metabolism and hemodynamics in veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The subjects will receive six TILS interventions and one sham intervention in a course of seven weeks.

This randomized pilot clinical trial studies the effects of meditation-based breathing training on patients' control of their breathing patterns and breathing-related movement, as well as on their psychological distress and treatment experience during radiation therapy. Meditation-based breathing training may decrease breathing-related movement and the amount of stress by improving breathing patterns in patients with abdominal or lung cancer undergoing radiation therapy.

Patients with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) will be randomized to a 12-week intervention of Sudarshan Kriya Yoga Trauma Relief Program (SKY) or a wait list control (WLC) to assess the effects of this intervention on symptoms of PTSD, depression, anxiety, quality of life, autonomic symptoms, and blood inflammatory markers.

The investigators study seeks to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of a parent-focused, early intervention to prevent the development of chronic PTSD for children admitted to the emergency department for an acute traumatic injury and their parents. Furthermore, the investigators will identify potential risk factors for the development of PTSD and factors that influence treatment response. Finally, the investigators will prospectively measure trajectories of parental and child responses to trauma and their interaction over time. This study will bring together a multidisciplinary team across two major research universities (Case Western Reserve University and Kent State University) and a large pediatric trauma center (Akron Children's Hospital) in an effort to reduce rates of PTSD in children following traumatic injury.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an acquired psychiatric condition that occurs after exposure to a dangerous or life-threatening event. It is characterized by persistent fear- and stress-related symptoms, such as nightmares, flashbacks, depression, anxiety and guilt. These symptoms can interfere significantly with patients' lives and in some cases can be debilitating. One of the most frequent causes of PTSD is being a victim of a violent, interpersonal assault. PTSD is felt to be primarily a disorder of memory formation - stressful memories are encoded too strongly in a patient's long-term memory, remaining too accessible and "present" to the patient long after the actual threat has passed. In recent years evidence has emerged that it may be possible to prevent PTSD by moderating the process of memory consolidation that occurs in the hours and days after a traumatic event. Early research has suggested that enhancing the body's natural cortisol response to a stressful event may be a safe and effective way of moderating the process of memory consolidation and promoting adaptive, non-pathological memory encoding. In particular, the administration of hydrocortisone, a safe and widely used drug that mimics the body's own cortisol hormone, appears to reduce the risk of developing PTSD in patients who have sustained a traumatic event. However, this research is still in relatively early stages, and requires larger trials to confirm its efficacy. In addition, the research thus far has not adequately targeted assault victims, whom Investigator feel are some of the patients most likely to benefit from such an approach. Investigators propose a prospective, placebo-controlled, double-blinded trial of administering single-dose oral hydrocortisone or placebo to 100 assault victims seen in the Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia Emergency Department to determine if this approach has efficacy in preventing PTSD. This study is designed as a pilot study, with the hopes that the data gathered in it can be used to design a larger and more robust trial in the future.

The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of a brain stimulation technique known as transcranial direct current stimulation, or tDCS, on the benefits of Prolonged Exposure therapy, or PE, which is an effective treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. tDCS has been demonstrated to be safe and effective for influencing brain activity by passing a weak electrical current through the scalp. In this study, tDCS is provided in addition to PE treatment, through the National Crime Victim's Research and Treatment Center at MUSC, or the PTSD Clinical Team Clinic within the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center.

This project evaluates the effectiveness of three intervention models for the prevention of mental health problems in people who have suffered a recent highly stressful event, through an experimental design, with a control group and random assignment of participants in each group . The preventive interventions that will be evaluated will be based on three different psychotherapeutic models: brief systemic therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness. It is expected to observe a significant reduction in post-traumatic and depressive symptoms, and an increase in subjective well-being and post-traumatic growth, compared to the control group. In addition, the moderating effect of psychological processes such as cognitive rumination, emotional self-regulation and coping strategies used in the relationship between the type of intervention and its results will be evaluated. If the hypotheses are confirmed, this study will allow the prevention of emotional distress associated with a highly stressful event, as well as the promotion of positive results, through empirically supported, low-cost strategies and with results that are capable of demonstrating their effectiveness.

Social difficulties are serious and frequent complicating factors in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). To better understand how treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder impacts neural mechanisms of social cognition, the investigators are examining behavior and brain processes associated with response to Trauma Management Therapy. Understanding the behavioral and neural impact of psychotherapy may contribute to development of more effective treatments for PTSD.

This study will evaluate the effect of a manualized treatment (Goal Management Training, or GMT) on the cognitive impairments associated with PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), as well as any impact on PTSD symptems themselves. Participants will be randomized to either GMT group treatment, or a wait list condition.