PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

CWRU study finds depression symptoms and emotional support impact PTSD treatment progress

2014-01-24
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Susan Griffith
susan.griffith@case.edu
216-368-1004
Case Western Reserve University
CWRU study finds depression symptoms and emotional support impact PTSD treatment progress Many individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) also experience depression. Researchers at Case Western Reserve University found that during PTSD treatments, rapid improvements in depression symptoms are associated with better outcomes.

Often while undergoing treatment, those suffering PTSD typically count on family and friends to help them through it. But advising individuals with PTSD to "toughen up" or "just get over it" can actually negatively impact these individuals and lead to a transient increase in depression, according to a new Case Western Reserve University psychology study.

The findings are reported in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology online article, "Depression Sudden Gains and Transient Depression Spikes During Treatment for PTSD." This is one of the first studies to shed light on how depression symptoms impact progress during PTSD treatment.

Funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, the study examined 84 PTSD patients treated only with medication, and another 116 involved in 10 therapy sessions designed to help them revisit their trauma and better cope with their fears.

Participants received either an evidence-based psychotherapy (Prolonged Exposure therapy) or an antidepressant (Zoloft), which is approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat PTSD.

Specifically, this study tracked sudden depression spikes or reductions in depression symptoms during PTSD treatment. Also examined were how social support from family and friends impacted sudden depression changes and how those changes affected the overall treatment outcome.

Negative social support from family or friends (for example, blaming the victim) was associated with experiencing a worsening in depression symptoms for individuals receiving medication or therapy for PTSD, explained Stephanie Keller, a Case Western Reserve doctoral student and the study's lead author.

Participants rated their depression symptoms (such as sadness, loss of interest in daily activities or hobbies, concentration problems, sleep or appetite issues, and suicidal thoughts) before starting each of the 10 treatment sessions, and finally at the end of treatment.

These survey scores allowed researchers to systematically track and analyze any changes in the depression levels.

Researchers found that patients experience ups and downs in depression whether treated only with medication or only therapy. Individuals who had rapid decreases in depression symptoms actually improved more during PTSD treatment than those who had gradual change, Keller said.

However, as transient depression symptom worsened, it did not negatively impact treatment outcome.

Overall, this study suggests that therapists should help PTSD patients to improve the quality of their social relationships, Keller said.

She also said for those patients who do have a temporary increase or worsening in their symptoms, clinicians may want to provide encouragement to stick with therapy and remind patients that a temporary spike in depression does not necessarily mean that they will benefit less from treatment.

Norah Feeny from Case Western Reserve's Department of Psychological Sciences and Lori Zoellner from the University of Washington's Department of Psychology are principal investigators on the NIMH-funded study and co-authors of this paper. The William T. Dahms, M.D. Clinical Research Unit, through funding from the Cleveland Clinical and Translational Science Award, provided additional research support.

INFORMATION:

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Sports medicine physical of the future could help athletes 'ESCAPE' sudden cardiac death

2014-01-24
BOSTON (01/23/14)—A young athlete in seemingly excellent health dies suddenly from a previously ...

Are developing heart valves sensitive to environmental chemicals?

2014-01-24
Baltimore, MD—Exposure to environmental endocrine disrupters, such as bisphenol A, which mimic estrogen, is associated with adverse health effects. Bisphenol A is commonly found in plastic bottles ...

New clues may link hereditary cancer genes to increased risk of cancer from alcohol

2014-01-24
In laboratory experiments conducted on human cell lines at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, scientists have shown that people carrying certain mutations in two hereditary ...

New computer model may aid personalized cancer care

2014-01-24
BOSTON – Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientists have developed a mathematical model to predict how a patient's tumor is likely to behave and which of several possible treatments is most likely to be ...

Lab-grown, virus-free stem cells repair retinal tissue in mice

2014-01-24
Investigators at Johns Hopkins report they have developed human induced-pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) capable of repairing damaged retinal vascular tissue in mice. The stem cells, derived from human ...

A scientific first: Physicists, physicians, engineers photograph radiation beams in the human body through the Cherenkov effect

2014-01-24
(Lebanon, NH 1/22/14) — A scientific breakthrough may give the field of radiation oncology new tools ...

Putting a brake on tumor spread

2014-01-24
A team of scientists, led by principal investigator David D. Schlaepfer, PhD, a professor in the Department of Reproductive Medicine at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, has found that a protein ...

Exploring the roots of the problem: How a South American tree adapts to volcanic soils

2014-01-24
Soils ...

Patients receiving ADT should be counseled to improve mental and emotional well-being

2014-01-24
New York, NY, January 23, 2014 – A new study published in the Journal ...

Aspirin intake may stop growth of vestibular schwannomas/acoustic neuromas

2014-01-24
BOSTON (Jan. 24, 2014) — Researchers from Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Advancements in organ preservation: paving the way for better transplantation outcomes

Pitt study makes new insights into the origins of ovarian cancer

Topical steroid withdrawal diagnostic criteria defined by NIH researchers

CeSPIACE: A broad-spectrum peptide inhibitor against variable SARS-CoV-2 spikes

Understanding the origin of magnetic moment enhancement in novel alloys

BU researchers develop computational tools to safeguard privacy without degrading voice-based cognitive markers

Breakthrough in rapid polymer nanostructure production

Artificial photosynthesis: Researchers mimic plants

Social disadvantage can accelerate ageing and increase disease risk

Breaking free from dependence on rare resources! A domestic high-performance permanent magnet emerges!

Symptoms of long-COVID can last up to two years after infection with COVID-19

Violence is forcing women in Northern Ireland into homelessness, finds new report

Latin American intensivists denounce economic and cultural inequities in the global scientific publishing system

Older adults might be more resistant to bird flu infections than children, Penn research finds

Dramatic increase in research funding needed to counter productivity slowdown in farming

How chemistry and force etch mysterious spiral patterns on solid surfaces

Unraveling the mysteries of polycystic kidney disease

Mother’s high-fat diet can cause liver stress in fetus, study shows

Weighing in on a Mars water debate

Researchers ‘seq’ and find a way to make pig retinal cells to advance eye treatments

Re-purposed FDA-approved drug could help treat high-grade glioma

Understanding gamma rays in our universe through StarBurst

Study highlights noninvasive hearing aid 

NASA taps UTA to shape future of autonomous aviation

Mutations disrupt touch-based learning, study finds

Misha lived in zoos, but the elephant’s tooth enamel helps reconstruct wildlife migrations

Eat better, breathe easier? Research points to link between diet, lung cancer

Mesozoic mammals had uniform dark fur

Wartime destruction of Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine has long-term environmental consequences

NIH’s flat 15% funding policy is misguided and damaging

[Press-News.org] CWRU study finds depression symptoms and emotional support impact PTSD treatment progress