The Journal of nervous and mental disease
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J. Nerv. Ment. Dis. · Aug 2010
Comparative StudyDream recall and dream content in obsessive-compulsive patients: is there a change during exposure treatment?
Very little is known about dreams in patients with obsessive compulsive disorder, especially regarding changes over the course of treatment with stimulus exposure and response prevention. By use of dream content analysis, 40 dreams of 9 obsessive compulsive (OC) inpatients were compared with 84 dreams of 10 matched OC outpatients and 63 dreams of 11 healthy control participants. Dream protocols of inpatients were collected at the beginning of treatment and after the first exposure exercises. ⋯ Under treatment with exposure, a significant reduction of OC themes was observed. The findings support the continuity hypothesis of dreaming by showing a link between day-time symptoms and OC symptoms in dreams. Contrary to expectations, however, exposure treatment does not intensify dreams.
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J. Nerv. Ment. Dis. · Nov 2009
Comparative StudyAttentional bias and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder one year after burn injury.
Trauma-related attentional bias is suggested to play a role in maintaining posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although being burn injured is a traumatic event for many patients, there are no prospective studies investigating attentional bias. The aims were to assess burn-specific attentional bias 1 year after burn, and its associations with risk factors for PTSD and symptoms of PTSD. ⋯ In total 29 participants displayed burn-specific attentional bias. This group had more previous life events, perceived life threat, larger burns, and higher PTSD symptom severity. In conclusion, the majority of the patients had burn-specific attentional bias 1 year after burn and this was related to symptoms of PTSD.
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J. Nerv. Ment. Dis. · Oct 2009
Comparative StudyPosttraumatic stress disorder mediates the relationship between mild traumatic brain injury and health and psychosocial functioning in veterans of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
This study evaluated whether posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) mediated the relationship between mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) and general health ratings, psychosocial functioning, and perceived barriers to receiving mental healthcare 2 years following return from deployment in veterans of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF). A total of 277 OEF/OIF veterans completed the Connecticut OEF/OIF Veterans Needs Assessment Survey; 18.8% of the sample screened positive for MTBI. ⋯ PTSD mediated the relationship between MTBI and all of these outcomes. These results underscore the importance of assessing PTSD in OEF/OIF veterans who screen positive for MTBI.