This authored text-reference will be the first comprehensive text in the rapidly growing field of psychological trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder.According to the NIMH, approximately 5.2 million American adults already suffer from post traumatic stress disorder. Caused by everything from combat experience to violent personal assaults to natural disasters and accidents, the incidence of PTSD has already reached epidemic proportions. The profound impact of psychological trauma and the need for proactive and scientifically-based approaches to timely prevention and evidence based treatment is unarguable and mental health programs are seeing a significant rise in the number of PTSD courses offered and services required. As a result, scholars, researchers, educators, clinicians, and trainees in the health care and human and social services need a concise and comprehensive source of authoritative information on psychological trauma and posttraumatic stress. This volume will offer a foundational understanding of the field as well cover key controversies, the influence of culture and gender, and describe state-of-the-art research and clinical methodologies in down-to-earth terms. Clinical case studies will be used liberally. - Concise but comprehensive coverage of biological, clinical and social issues surrounding PTSD - Thoroughly covers evidence-based treatments, enabling the reader to translate current research into effective practice - Exemplifies practical application through case studies

This volume brings together the leaders in the field of PTSD research to present an up-to-date summary and understanding of this complex disorder. All of our current knowledge and controversies concerning the diagnosis, epidemiology, course, pathophysiology and treatment are described in detail. The evidence for efficacy for each of the different forms of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy is reviewed. Particular attention is paid to at-risk groups, including minorities, and coverage of PTSD throughout the world is reviewed as well. The authors present state-of-the-art findings in genetics, epigenetics, neurotransmitter function and brain imaging to provide the most current and comprehensive review of this burgeoning field.

Praise for Clinician's Guide to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder "Rosen and Frueh's important book takes a huge leap toward clarity. The chapters are authored by leading experts in the field, and each addresses one of the pressing issues of the day. The tone is sensible and authoritative throughout, but always with a thoughtful ear toward clinical concerns and implications." —George A. Bonanno, PhD Professor of Clinical Psychology Teachers College, Columbia University "All clinicians and researchers dealing with anxiety disorders should have a copy of Rosen and Frueh's Clinician's Guide to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder on their shelves. Moreover, they should read it from cover to cover. This compilation . . . is authoritative, very readable, and extremely well crafted. The issues are looked at from many vantage points, including assessment and treatment, cross-cultural, cognitive, and categorical/political." —Michel Hersen, PhD, ABPP Editor, Journal of Anxiety Disorders Dean, School of Professional Psychology, Pacific University Clinician's Guide to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder brings together an international group of expert clinicians and researchers who address core issues facing mental health professionals, including: Assessing and treating trauma exposure and posttraumatic morbidity Controversies and clinical implications of differences of opinion among researchers on the definition and diagnosis of the condition Treating the full range of posttraumatic reactions Cross-cultural perspectives on posttraumatic stress

Trauma and disaster throw lives into chaos and fill people with the fear of loss, injury, and death. Although most individuals experience only transitory posttraumatic symptoms, others experience the effects of the disaster long after the traumatic event when new experiences remind them of the past. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Acute and Long-Term Responses to Trauma and Disaster provides clinicians, researchers, and policy makers with an examination of current advances in research and treatment by recognized experts at the cutting edge of innovation. This timely book incorporates DSM-IV criteria and the new diagnostic category acute stress disorder, which emphasizes the breadth of posttraumatic stress symptoms and disorders and the importance of distinguishing between acute and long-term responses to traumatic events. Individual chapters go beyond PTSD to examine other posttraumatic disorders and responses, the mechanisms of transmission of posttraumatic stress, and its effects on behavior and health in natural and societal disasters and traumas, including war. This volume pays particular attention to the array of psychiatric responses to trauma, including PTSD and the unfolding of illness and recovery over time. Posttraumatic responses are considered across individual, group, family, and community perspectives and from the vantage point of developmental systems from childhood to older adult life.

The experience of traumatic events is a near-universal, albeit unfortunate, part of the human experience. The Oxford Handbook of Traumatic Stress Disorders addresses the current landscape of research and clinical knowledge surrounding traumatic stress disorders.

Unparalleled in its breadth and depth, this state-of-the-art handbook reviews current scientific advances in understanding trauma and PTSD, discusses the implications for clinical practice, and evaluates the status of evidence-based assessment and treatment. The foremost authorities in the field examine posttraumatic psychological reactions on multiple levels, from genes and neurocircuitry to gender and lifespan development. Established and emerging psychological, medical, and public health interventions are discussed in depth, as are issues in tailoring treatment to the needs of different populations. Special topics include forensic issues, resilience, and prevention. The integrative concluding chapter presents a reasoned agenda for future research.

If, as a health care or social service provider, one was called upon to help someone who has experienced terror in the hands of a hostage taker, an irate and chronically abusive spouse or parent, or a has survived a motor vehicle accident, landslide, earthquake, hurricane or even a massive flood, what would be one's priority response? What would be considered as the most pressing need of the individual requiring care? Whatever the answer to each of these questions, people who have experienced terror, suffer considerable psychological injury. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in a Global Context offers some answers to meet the needs of health care and socials service providers in all settings, whether in a hospital emergency room, at the war front, or natural disaster site. The take home message is, after providing emergency care, there is always a pressing need to provide mental health care to all victims of traumatic stress.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, is a psychiatric disorder that can occur following the experience or witnessing of life-threatening events such as military combat, natural disasters, terrorist incidents, serious accidents, or violent personal assaults like rape. People who suffer from PTSD often relive the experience through nightmares and flashbacks, have difficulty sleeping, and feel detached or estranged, and these symptoms can be severe enough and last long enough to significantly impair the person's daily life. PTSD is marked by clear biological changes as well as psychological symptoms. PTSD is complicated by the fact that it frequently occurs in conjunction with related disorders such as depression, substance abuse, problems of memory and cognition, and other problems of physical and mental health. The disorder is also associated with impairment of the person's ability to function in social or family life, including occupational instability, marital problems and divorces. PTSD is associated with a number of distinctive neurobiological and physiological changes. PTSD is treated by a variety of forms of psychotherapy and drug therapy. This new book presents leading research from around the world.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, is a psychiatric disorder that can occur following the experience or witnessing of life-threatening events such as military combat, natural disasters, terrorist incidents, serious accidents, or violent personal assaults like rape. People who suffer from PTSD often relive the experience through nightmares and flashbacks, have difficulty sleeping, and feel detached or estranged, and these symptoms can be severe enough and last long enough to significantly impair the person's daily life. PTSD is marked by clear biological changes as well as psychological symptoms. PTSD is complicated by the fact that it frequently occurs in conjunction with related disorders such as depression, substance abuse, problems of memory and cognition, and other problems of physical and mental health. The disorder is also associated with impairment of the person's ability to function in social or family life, including occupational instability, marital problems and divorces. PTSD is associated with a number of distinctive neurobiological and physiological changes. PTSD is treated by a variety of forms of psychotherapy and drug therapy. This new book presents leading research from around the world.

Renowned scientists and practitioners provide a concise summary of current theory, research, and clinical practice regarding traumatic stress. An integrative biopsychosocial theory of trauma response provides a framework for the book. Chapters consider the frequency and likely mental health consequences of a wide range of traumatic events-including military trauma, violent crime, natural and technological disasters, accidental injury, and torture. This comprehensive reference features state-of-the-art psychosocial and biological treatments and community-based intervention strategies.