Answered Questions is a monthly resource for the Spanish language Disability Community that fills an information need. This month’s question is: I have read NARIC’s FAQ on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Can you tell me more? This edition of Answered Questions includes items that discuss a treatment for people with PTSD and spinal cord injury (SCI); Veterans with PTSD, homelessness, and employment; a study that looked at the PTSD experiences of people with traumatic SCI; research on using MRI scanners to diagnose PTSD; the use of virtual reality in the treatment of PTSD; children and PTSD; the efficiency of recommended psychological treatments; The National Center for PTSD and AboutFace; and factsheets on PTSD for healthcare professionals. More about Answered Questions.
NIDILRR-Funded Projects:
The project Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE) for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in Spinal Cord Injury (SCI): A Randomized Controlled Trial (English) (90IFRE0003) uses a randomized controlled trial to evaluate PE on PTSD symptoms among people with SCI. Estimates suggest that PTSD affects up to 60% of people with SCI compared to only 7% of the general population. PE has been tested with survivors of combat, sexual and non-sexual assault, traumatic injury, and disasters, but has not been tested specifically within the SCI community.
From the NARIC Collection:
The article, From homelessness to employment: Perceptions of OEF and OIF veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (English) (J77865), discusses a study that examined the perspectives of 10 Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) Veterans with PTSD regarding their efforts to move from homelessness to employment. Five themes were identified: (1) fallout from PTSD, (2) motivation to change, (3) family support, (4), rehabilitation counseling, and (5) developing a new work identity. Findings from this study suggest that OEF/OIF Veterans with PTSD express the values and attitudes needed to successfully return to work.
Research In Focus:
Who Is Most Likely to Develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder After Spinal Cord Injury?, an article from NARIC’s Research In Focus series, discusses a study from the NIDILRR-funded Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Secondary Conditions in Individuals with SCI (English) (90RT5003) that looked at PTSD experiences of people with traumatic SCI. The researchers wanted to find out how common PTSD is among people with SCI, who is more likely to develop PTSD after a traumatic SCI, whether PTSD is more common in some racial/ethnic groups than others, and if PTSD is related to other mental health conditions such as depression.
Technology:
The article, The diagnosis of traumas with a scanner (BBC Mundo), discusses research presented at the Congress of the World Psychiatric Association in Florence, Italy that found differences in the brain activity of people with PTSD. The technique is still in its early stages; however, according to researchers at Duke University in the US, it could become a very useful tool in the diagnosis and treatment of PTSD.
Rehabilitation:
The article, Cyberpsychology for posttraumatic stress disorder, describes a program in Juaréz City, México supported by the National Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT, acronym in Spanish) that studied how the use of virtual reality can help people with PTSD process their emotions and how they deal with traumatic memories and situations that are similar to the original traumatic event. The article also discusses the process of exposure therapy through the use of virtual reality, psychiatric therapy through the Internet, and other related projects.
Children:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a factsheet on PTSD in children. The factsheet includes examples of signs and symptoms, examples of situations that may cause PTSD in children, and information on the treatment of PTSD. The factsheet includes a link to a tool from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry that assists parents and caregivers to find a psychiatrist for their child or teen.
Veterans:
The article, Efficacy of recommended psychological treatments for Veterans with PTSD (Clinical Psychology News), in the journal “Clinical Psychology Review” discusses how effective psychological treatments are for Veterans with PTSD. Evidence suggests that Veterans with PTSD do not benefit as much from psychological treatment in comparison to the general population. The article discusses factors that determine the efficacy of psychological treatments for PTSD, the results of a systematic review of the literature, and the results of a meta-analysis.
Resources:
- The National Center for PTSD’s (English) goal is to advance the clinical care and social welfare of US Veterans and other who have experienced trauma or who experience PTSD. They do this through research, education, and training in the science, diagnosis, and treatment of PTSD and stress-related disorders. The Center has created AboutFace (English), a series of videos of Veterans, family members, and clinicians sharing their experiences with PTSD and PTSD treatment.
- The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (English) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has a factsheet on PTSD that defines what PTSD is and who can experience PTSD. It also discusses symptoms, how children react differently than adults, risk factors of PTSD, treatment, and more.
- The Merck Manual has three factsheets on PTSD for healthcare professionals: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which defines PTSD and discusses signs and symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment; Acute Stress and Post Traumatic Stress Disorders (ASD and PTSD) in Children and Teens discusses ASD and PTSD in children and teens and includes information on signs and symptoms, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment; and Generalities about disorders related to trauma and stress factors discusses trauma and stress related disorders in general, the difference between PTSD and Acute Stress Disorder, and provides links to anxiety and stress disorders.
Further Research:
REHABDATA:
PubMed:
International:
About Answered Questions
Each month, we look through the searches on our blog and through the information requests made by our patrons who speak Spanish and pick a topic that fills the largest need. Each resource mentioned above is associated with this month’s information need. We search the various Spanish language news sources and feeds throughout the month to bring you these articles. With the exception of the NIDILRR Projects, From the NARIC Collection, and Further Investigation, all the linked articles and resources are in Spanish – any that are in English will be clearly marked.
Collection Spotlight from the National Rehabilitation Information Center 