Punishment Learning in U.S. Veterans With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

Learning processes have been implicated in the development and course of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); however, little is currently known about punishment-based learning in PTSD. The current study investigated impairments in punishment-based learning in U.S.

Efficacy of Narrative Writing as an Intervention for PTSD: Does the Evidence Support Its Use?

Although a number of effective psychotherapies for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are available, there is a need to develop alternative treatments for those who may not respond optimally to these treatments or who may not have access to clinicians who can competently deliver them. Narrative writing, which involves repeated recounting about a traumatic event in writing, is one treatment that deserves further examination as a potential alternative. In this paper, we describe the most commonly used narrative writing treatment protocols for those with either a diagnosis of PTSD or probable PTSD and discuss the available efficacy data for each of these protocols.

Menstrual cycle effects on psychological symptoms in women with PTSD.

The menstrual cycle has been implicated as a sex-specific biological process influencing psychological symptoms across a variety of disorders. Limited research exists regarding the role of the menstrual cycle in psychological symptoms among women with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The current study examined the severity of a broad range of psychological symptoms in both the early follicular (Days 2-6) and midluteal (6-10 days postlutenizing hormone surge) phases of the menstrual cycle in a sample of trauma-exposed women with and without PTSD (N = 49).

Effect of Suppression, Reappraisal, and Acceptance of Emotional Pictures on Acoustic Eye-Blink Startle Magnitude.

To examine the effects of different emotion regulation strategies on acoustic eye-blink startle, 65 participants viewed positive, neutral, and negative pictures and were instructed to suppress, reappraise, or accept their emotional responses to these pictures using a within-group experimental design with separate blocks of pictures for each strategy. Instructions to suppress the emotional response led to an attenuation of the eye-blink startle magnitude, in comparison with instructions to reappraise or accept. Reappraisal and acceptance instructions did not differ from one another in their effect on startle.

Hyper-connectivity of subcortical resting-state networks in social anxiety disorder.

Social anxiety disorder-related alterations in basal ganglia regions, such as striatum and globus pallidus, though evident from metabolic imaging, remain to be explored using seed-based resting-state functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging. Capitalizing on the enhanced sensitivity of a multichannel array coil, we collected high-resolution (2-mm isotropic) data from medication-naive patients and healthy control participants. Subcortical resting-state networks from structures including the striatum (caudate and putamen), globus pallidus, thalamus, amygdala, and periaqueductal gray were compared between the two groups.

Written exposure therapy for veterans diagnosed with PTSD: a pilot study.

There is a need to identify alternative treatment options for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), especially among veterans where PTSD tends to be more difficult to treat and dropout rates are especially high. One potential alternative is written exposure therapy, a brief intervention shown to treat PTSD among civilians effectively. This study investigated the feasibility and tolerability of written exposure therapy in an uncontrolled trial with a sample of 7 male veterans diagnosed with PTSD.

Psychological treatment of social anxiety disorder improves body dysmorphic concerns.

Social anxiety disorder and body dysmorphic disorder are considered nosologically distinct disorders. In contrast, some cognitive models suggest that social anxiety disorder and body dysmorphic disorder share similar cognitive maintenance factors. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of psychological treatments for social anxiety disorder on body dysmorphic disorder concerns.

Social Mishap Exposures for Social Anxiety Disorder: An Important Treatment Ingredient.

Conventional cognitive-behavioral therapy for social anxiety disorder, which is closely based on the treatment for depression, has been shown to be effective in numerous randomized placebo-controlled trials. Although this intervention is more effective than waitlist control group and placebo conditions, a considerable number of clients do not respond to this approach. Newer approaches include techniques specifically tailored to this particular population.

The Efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Review of Meta-analyses.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) refers to a popular therapeutic approach that has been applied to a variety of problems. The goal of this review was to provide a comprehensive survey of meta-analyses examining the efficacy of CBT. We identified 269 meta-analytic studies and reviewed of those a representative sample of 106 meta-analyses examining CBT for the following problems: substance use disorder, schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, depression and dysthymia, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, somatoform disorders, eating disorders, insomnia, personality disorders, anger and aggression, criminal behaviors, general stress, distress due to general medical conditions, chronic pain and fatigue, distress related to pregnancy complications and female hormonal conditions.

Dysmaturation of the default mode network in autism.

Two hypotheses of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) propose that this condition is characterized by deficits in Theory of Mind and by hypoconnectivity between remote cortical regions with hyperconnectivity locally. The default mode network (DMN) is a set of remote, functionally connected cortical nodes less active during executive tasks than at rest and is implicated in Theory of Mind, episodic memory, and other self-reflective processes. We show that children with ASD have reduced connectivity between DMN nodes and increased local connectivity within DMN nodes and the visual and motor resting-state networks.

Efficacy of attention bias modification using threat and appetitive stimuli: a meta-analytic review.

Attention bias modification (ABM) protocols aim to modify attentional biases underlying many forms of pathology. Our objective was to conduct an effect size analysis of ABM across a wide range of samples and psychological problems. We conducted a literature search using PubMed, PsycInfo, and author searches to identify randomized studies that examined the effects of ABM on attention and subjective experiences.

D-cycloserine as an augmentation strategy for cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety disorders: an update.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been shown to be an effective intervention for anxiety disorders. However, despite its proven efficacy, some patients fail to respond to an adequate course of treatment. In attempts to improve the efficacy of CBT, researchers have augmented the core learning processes of the intervention with d-cycloserine (DCS), an N-Methyl-D-Aspartate partial agonist.

Emotion dysregulation model of mood and anxiety disorders.

In this review, we present a transdiagnostic emotion dysregulation model of mood and anxiety disorders. This model posits that a triggering event, in conjunction with an existing diathesis, leads to negative or positive affect, depending on the person's affective style. Mood and anxiety disorders are the result of emotion dysregulation of negative affect, coupled with deficiencies in positive affect.

Psychological treatments for fibromyalgia: a meta-analysis.

The aims of the present analysis were to investigate the short- and long-term efficacies and treatment moderators of psychological interventions for fibromyalgia. A literature search using PubMed, PsychINFO, the Cochrane Library, and manual searches identified 23 eligible studies including 30 psychological treatment conditions and 1396 patients. Meta-analytic integration resulted in a significant but small effect size for short-term pain reduction (Hedges's g=0.

The empirical status of the "new wave" of cognitive behavioral therapy.

This article reviews the current state of empirical research on the purported "new wave" of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). A particular emphasis is given to mindfulness-based treatments and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Mindfulness-based approaches and ACT are evaluated with regard to their efficacy and comparison with traditional CBT.

The effect of mindfulness-based therapy on anxiety and depression: A meta-analytic review.

Objective: Although mindfulness-based therapy has become a popular treatment, little is known about its efficacy. Therefore, our objective was to conduct an effect size analysis of this popular intervention for anxiety and mood symptoms in clinical samples.

Method: We conducted a literature search using PubMed, PsycINFO, the Cochrane Library, and manual searches.

The serotonin transporter gene and risk for alcohol dependence: a meta-analytic review.

Previous studies have implicated a relationship between particular allelic variations of the serotonin transporter gene (5HTTLPR) and alcohol dependence. To provide a current estimate of the strength of this association, particularly in light of inconsistent results for 5HTTLPR, we conducted a meta-analytic review of the association between 5HTTLPR and a clinical diagnosis of alcohol dependence. Of 145 studies initially identified, 22 (including 8050 participants) met inclusion criteria.

Is it Beneficial to Add Pharmacotherapy to Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy when Treating Anxiety Disorders? A Meta-Analytic Review.

In order to examine the benefit of adding pharmacotherapy to cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety disorders, we searched for studies comparing CBT plus pharmacotherapy and CBT plus pill placebo for adults meeting DSM-III-R or DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for an anxiety disorder between the 1st available year and July 1, 2008. Of 874 studies that were initially considered, 11 studies were identified, representing 471 patients with post-acute completer data and 236 participants with follow-up completer data. CBT plus pharmacotherapy was generally more effective than CBT plus placebo at post-treatment for measures of anxiety disorder severity (Hedges' g = 0.

How to handle anxiety: The effects of reappraisal, acceptance, and suppression strategies on anxious arousal.

It has been suggested that reappraisal strategies are more effective than suppression strategies for regulating emotions. Recently, proponents of the acceptance-based behavior therapy movement have further emphasized the importance of acceptance-based emotion regulation techniques. In order to directly compare these different emotion regulation strategies, 202 volunteers were asked to give an impromptu speech in front of a video camera.