Harnessing the Healing Power of Relationships: Reconceptualizing PTSD and Enhancing Treatment
Candice Monson, Ph.D.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Noon - 1:30 p.m. Central Time

According to the RAND report in 2008, 20% of soldiers who served in Iraq and Afghanistan developed PTSD or major depression.  While the disorders are becoming more widely known by veterans and researchers are continuing to improve understanding and treatment of the conditions, it is not well understood among the general public.   One of the most common misconceptions about PTSD is that Veterans who suffer with it are violent. However, research indicates that Veterans with PTSD and the general population are equally susceptible to violent behavior.  Researchers continue to work to lessen the stigma of PTSD.

For the full story, go to http://thenationshealth.aphapublications.org/content/42/3/1.1.full

The March issue includes a message from ISTSS President Eve Carlson, PhD, a profile on the life of a fellow ISTSS member and recurring StressPoints favorites including Trauma and World Literature, Media Matters and trauma-related articles. 

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Researchers at Columbia University in New York conducted a randomized control trail comparing Prolonged Exposure (PE) therapy combined with paroxetine (an SSRI) with PE combined with a placebo.  Participants (N = 37) in this trial were victims of the World Trade Center attack on September 11, 2001 who had PTSD.  Both groups received 10 weeks of PE while taking medication or placebo.  At the end of treatment, individuals in the PE plus paroxetine condition (n = 19) had lower PTSD symptom severity, were more likely to have remitted, and had higher quality of life ratings than were the individuals in the PE plus placebo condition (n = 18).  The study was published in the American Journal of Psychiatry in January 2012 http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/article.aspx?articleID=181224. 

Healing People with PTSD
Edna B. Foa, PhD
Friday, March 23, 2012
9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Central Time
14:00 - 15:30 UTC

Recent events in the US news has brought the issues surrounding male childhood sexual abuse again to the forefront. The sexual abuse and assault of boys and men occurs in up to 1 in 6 males. Many of the issues are common to all types of  sexual abuse and sexual assault: secrecy and silencing, betrayal by a trusted authority figure, proximal and distal physical effects of abuse, and, in the absence of effective treatment, long-term psychological and psychiatric problems, although how some of these play out may be different in boys and men, due in part to the cultural concomitants of masculine identity. As with other forms of sexual abuse, information and education are often important components of prevention and treatment for all involved, from those at risk to those who have been victimized, to those caring professionally or personally. Available resources have increased over the past 20 years. ISTSS offers the following web links, which, while not meant to be comprehensive, may serve as starting points for lay and professional individuals alike:

http://www.nctsn.org/trauma-types/sexual-abuse: This link provides a gateway to resources of sexual abuse, including information specifically for parents of sexual abuse survivors, along with information about cultural aspects of sexual abuse. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network is a US federally-funded collaborative organization of researchers and community service providers in the area of child trauma. The website as a whole provides comprehensive information about many types of childhood trauma, including assessment measures, general information about types of treatment, etc.

http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/CM-FactSheet-a.pdf
http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/pub/PreventingChildAbuse.html:  These links bring the viewer to resources provided by the US Center for Disease Control (CDC). One of the CDC priority areas is in violence prevention. The first of the two links above provides a general fact sheet about child maltreatment. The second link allows the viewer to download for free a 55-page book, Preventing Child Sexual Abuse Within Youth-serving Organizations: Getting Started on Policies and Procedures.

http://ovc.ncjrs.gov/findvictimservices/:  This link brings the viewer to a website provided by the US Office of Victim of Crime (which is located within the US Department of Justice), which provides a US and international directory of victim services. On the second page of this website, there is the opportunity for the viewer to specify the country of interest, the US state or territory of interest, type of victimization,  and type of agency sought. 

http://rainn.org/get-information/types-of-sexual-assault/male-sexual-assault: This link brings the viewer to an information sheet put together by the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN), a privately-funded group. As an organization, RAINN addresses sexual abuse of girls and women as well as boys and men.

http://1in6.org/get-information/: This link serves as a portal for information about male sexual abuse/assault, as provided by the organization 1in6. 

While all of the websites above provide phone numbers for those needing help or to report abuse, the Childhelp® National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-2445) is among the oldest established phonelines.

Submit your abstract for the 2012 Annual Meeting in Los Angeles today!

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Psychotherapy for the Interrupted Life: Treating Adult Survivors of Childhood Abuse
Marylene Cloitre, PhD
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. CT

The January issue includes information on the 28th Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, profiles of each 2011 ISTSS award winner and recurring StressPoints favorites including Trauma and World Literature and trauma-related articles. 

Read it now!