Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a condition that people who have endured a traumatic event such as war, a violent crime, or abuse sometimes deal with. PTSD includes symptoms such as nightmares, irrational fears, flashbacks, anxiety, and insomnia. It affects about 7.7 million American adults and it can affect children, too.

Preliminary research suggests that PTSD patients may benefit from virtual reality psychotherapy. The virtual reality helps patients relive some of their traumatic experiences while in a safe environment. Iraq war veterans took part in the study -- taking medication and using the virtual reality treatments -- and it's helped many of them confront their fears.

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A scientific review came out this past week that questioned the effectiveness of many treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). With thousands of veterans returning from Iraq on a regular basis, the determination on what works and what does not is more important than ever.

One treatment, though, has been proven to work -- exposure therapies. This therapy simulates the conditions of trauma so that coping skills can be developed. But other than that, there is a lack of evidence for other therapies -- but that does not mean patients should give them up.

The report stated that therapy should not be discontinued for PTSD patients, saying that "we do the best we can with what we've got." However, the report also stated that "we need better," in reference to specific, verifiable treatments for PTSD.

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I adopted my son from the foster care system. He suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder due to events that occurred before he entered foster care. PTSD bleeds into so many areas of his life now -- for example, he has a hair-trigger response to fear; little noises or other things that wouldn't even startle most people shake him to the core. Childhood trauma isn't the only cause of PTSD -- any traumatic event can leave someone with some or all of the symptoms. In a nutshell, PTSD is created when the brain is unable to stop replaying events or experiencing the fear and other emotions associated with a significant traumatic event or time period.

Other than therapy and antidepressants, there is no standard treatment for PTSD at this time. A current study blocked an enzyme called Cdk5 in the brains of mice that had been given mild foot shocks. Mice who had received the foot shock, but hadn't had the enzyme blocked, exhibited symptoms of fear when put in the same environment where they had been previously shocked. Mice who had Cdk5 blocked, didn't exhibit fear symptoms.

The research is preliminary and is a long way from being applicable to humans, but it does give hope that someday there may be a treatment for PTSD.

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The ravaged land that Hurricane Katrina left in its wake is doing more damage to the citizens of the gulf coast region far beyond the monetary losses the disaster created.

In fact, residents of New Orleans are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at a rate that is 10 times the amount which occurs in the general population, according to a new study.

This is to be expected. Hurricane Katrina was a life-changing event for almost everyone that was directly affected by it. It also points out that long-term, coordinated mental health care should be a central tenet included in disaster relief.

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