Internet and Psychiatry

Sher L, Braquehais MD, Casas M.
Cleve Clin J Med 2012 Feb;79(2):92-7.
Abstract
Suicidal behavior is a critical problem in war veterans. Combat veterans are not only more likely to have suicidal ideation, often associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, but they are more likely to act on a suicidal plan. Especially since veterans may be less likely to seek help from a mental health professional, non-mental-health physicians are in a key position to screen for PTSD, depression, and suicidal ideation in these patients. The authors discuss the association of PTSD, depression, and suicide in veterans, keys to assessment of suicide risk, and interventions.

Mutabaruka J, Séjourné N, Bui E, Birmes P, Chabrol H.
Stress Health. 2011 Oct 5. doi: 10.1002/smi.1429. [Epub ahead of print]

Abstract
The relationship between exposure to traumatic events and traumatic grief and the role of mediating and moderating variables [peritraumatic distress, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and symptoms of depression] were studied in survivors of the genocide of Batutsi in Rwanda in 1994. One hundred and two survivors (70 women, mean age 45±7.53years) participated in this retrospective study. All of them had lost a member of their family. The severity of traumatic exposure (Comprehensive Trauma Inventory), peritraumatic distress (Peritraumatic Distress Inventory), current PTSD symptoms (PTSD Checklist), depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory) and traumatic grief symptoms (Inventory of Traumatic Grief) was evaluated.

Murrough JW, Czermak C, Henry S, Nabulsi N, Gallezot JD, Gueorguieva R, Planeta-Wilson B, Krystal JH, Neumaier JF, Huang Y, Ding YS, Carson RE, Neumeister A.
Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2011 Sep;68(9):892-900.

CONTEXT: Serotonergic dysfunction is implicated in the pathogenesis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and recent animal models suggest that disturbances in serotonin type 1B receptor function, in particular, may contribute to chronic anxiety. However, the specific role of the serotonin type 1B receptor has not been studied in patients with PTSD.

Smith AK, Conneely KN, Kilaru V, Mercer KB, Weiss TE, Bradley B, Tang Y, Gillespie CF, Cubells JF, Ressler KJ.
Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet. 2011 Jun 28. doi: 10.1002/ajmg.b.31212. [Epub ahead of print]

DNA methylation may mediate persistent changes in gene function following chronic stress. To examine this hypothesis, we evaluated African American subjects matched by age and sex, and stratified into four groups by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis and history of child abuse. Total Life Stress (TLS) was also assessed in all subjects.

Marvasti JA.
Conn Med. 2011 Mar;75(3):133-41.

Over 1.9 million U.S. veterans have been deployed to the Middle East since 2001. Statistics show that when they return, a significant number of them will develop psychiatric/psychosomatic disorders. Many of these returning veterans will be seen in primary-care offices or at hospitals. It is important for physicians to be familiar with combat trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), and acute stress disorder (ASD).

Tuchner M, Meiner Z, Parush S, Hartman-Maeir A.
Isr J Psychiatry Relat Sci. 2010;47(4):269-75.

Background: During the past few decades, terrorist acts have been an unfortunate reality worldwide. There is a striking paucity of research investigating the multitude of long-term outcomes after severe physical injury due to terrorist attacks, a unique subgroup of trauma patients. The purpose of this study was to provide a profile of the long-term health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) after injury due to terrorist attacks and to explore the relationships between Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), occupational status and injury severity with HR-QOL

Yehuda R, Golier JA, Bierer LM, Mikhno A, Pratchett LC, Burton CL, Makotkine I, Devanand DP, Pradhaban G, Harvey PD, Mann JJ.
Psychiatry Res. 2010 Nov 30;184(2):117-27

Neuroendocrine, cognitive and hippocampal alterations have been described in Gulf War (GW) veterans, but their inter-relationships and significance for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have not been described. Hydrocortisone (Hcort) was administered to GW veterans with (PTSD+ n=12) and without (PTSD- n=8) chronic PTSD in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind challenge. Changes in plasma ACTH, memory, and hippocampal [(18)F]FDG uptake on positron emission tomography were assessed. The low-dose dexamethasone suppression test was also administered.

Vaage AB, Thomsen PH, Rousseau C, Wentzel-Larsen T, Ta TV, Hauff E.
Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2011 Jan 10;5(1):2.

BACKGROUND: Intergenerational transmission of trauma as a determinant of mental health has been studied in the offspring of Holocaust survivors and combat veterans, and in refugee families. Mainly negative effects on the children are reported, while a few studies also describe resilience and a possible positive transformation process. A longitudinal prospective cohort study of Vietnamese refugees arriving in Norway in 1982 reports a 23 years follow-up, including spouses and children born in Norway, to study the long-term effects of trauma, flight, and exile on the offspring of the refugees. Objectives of the study: 1. To study the association between the psychological distress of Vietnamese refugee parents and their children after 23 years resettlement. 2. To analyse paternal predictors for their children's mental health.