In This Issue

Feature Topic

Resources for Managing Stress after Trauma

People respond to traumatic events in a number of ways. They may feel concern, anger, fear, or helplessness. These are all typical responses to a traumatic event.

Stress reactions after a disaster, like the recent hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria look very much like the common reactions seen after any type of trauma. Disasters can cause a full range of mental and physical reactions. You may also react to problems that occur after the event, as well as to triggers or reminders of the trauma.

Learn what to expect following a traumatic event and how to manage stress reactions on our website:

Self-Care After a Traumatic Event

• Coping with Traumatic Stress Reactions. Active ways to cope with traumatic stress, with tips for coping with specific PTSD symptoms.
• Negative Coping and PTSD. Ways of coping with PTSD that cause problems and should be avoided.
• Self-Care After Disasters. Ways to cope when you have been through a disaster.

Self-Help Options

• PTSD Coach. This mobile app has self-assessments, symptom-tracking, and coping skills to help you address and monitor stress. Available for iOS and Android.
• PTSD Coach Online: A series of online video coaches will guide you through 17 tools to help you manage stress. (desktop)

Seeking Professional Help

If you think you have PTSD, your best chance of getting better is by working with a mental health or medical provider. Good treatments are available that have been shown to help all kinds of people.

• Tips on Finding a Therapist.
• What's Stopping You? Overcome Barriers to getting Care for PTSD.

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For Providers

Consult with PTSD Experts

The PTSD Consultation Program offers free PTSD consultation to any provider who treats Veterans in any setting.

This program is now open to Community Providers.

PTSD Lecture Series

• October 18: The 2017 Revised Clinical Practice Guideline for PTSD: Recommendations for Medications, Matthew Friedman, MD, PhD

Mark your calendar: Third Wednesday of the month at 2pm ET.

Subscribe

Sign up to receive monthly emails that include a registration link and instructions for joining the live lectures.

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Research at the Center

National PTSD Brain Bank Study

Researchers at the Center are studying a specific alteration in brain glutamate signaling in PTSD. Glutamate, a chemical messenger of brain signals, has shown to be different in patients who have PTSD than those who do not.

This new study included scans that show increased levels of a subtype of glutamate receptor in the brain, metabotropic glutamate receptor-5 (mGluR5), in patients with PTSD. This study is the first conducted in brain tissue that has been donated by veterans or their families for research purposes to the National PTSD Brain Bank.

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PTSD in the News

FDA Approves Clinical Trials for MDMA and PTSD. Dr. John Krystal, Director of the National Center for PTSD's Clinical Neurosciences Division, talks to the Washington Post about FDA-approved clinical trials for MDMA and PTSD. Read more.* (subscription may be required)

Be sure to forward this update to others so they can subscribe. We send one update per month to keep you informed of the latest PTSD developments.

Thank you,

The Staff of VA’s National Center for PTSD

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