Integrating Treatment For Alcohol Use Problems And Comorbid PTSD
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$658,073.00
Summary
Comorbid alcohol use problems and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are common mental health problems that cause disability and distress. Despite this, there are few randomized controlled trials of interventions. The proposed study is the first Australian randomised controlled trial in this field to address the question of whether treating PTSD and alcohol use problems is superior to treating alcohol use problems alone. The study compares the relative efficacy of a manual guided treatment for ....Comorbid alcohol use problems and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are common mental health problems that cause disability and distress. Despite this, there are few randomized controlled trials of interventions. The proposed study is the first Australian randomised controlled trial in this field to address the question of whether treating PTSD and alcohol use problems is superior to treating alcohol use problems alone. The study compares the relative efficacy of a manual guided treatment for alcohol use disorder alone with a simultaneous treatment for alcohol use and PTSD. This study improves on the methodological limitations described in the two existing studies reported in the published literature. Two-hundred and sixty four participants will be recruited from mutiple sites (media, GPs, specialist clinics) and treated in the community at two sites in Sydney. Participants will be eligible if they consume harmful levels of alcohol (NHMRC risky or high risk levels) and have a concurrent diagnosis of PTSD based on recognised diagnostic criteria. Treatment will consist of 16 sessions of manual guided individual psychological therapy that has been found to be very efficacious with each problem alone. The efficacy of treatment will be determined on the basis of reductions in harmful drinking (above NHMRC low risk levels) and in symptoms of PTSD. Participants will be followed up by an independent, blind, clinician three and six months after treatment completion. The findings of this study have the potential to provide valuable information regarding the treatment needs of people with these complex presentations to clinicians and policy developers alike.Read moreRead less
Identifying A Modifiable Risk Factor For PTSD: Insomnia-related Disruption Of Trauma Recovery Mechanisms
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,072,993.00
Summary
About 4.6 million Australians will experience PTSD during their life. Having insomnia before or immediately after trauma exposure makes it 2.5-3 times more likely someone will develop PTSD, but no one knows why. This project will, for the first time, propose and test a reason why insomnia increases the risk of PTSD. If successful, we will identify one of the few risk factors that can actually be modified in order to reduce the likelihood of developing PTSD after a trauma.
Modelling Post-traumatic Stress Disorder In Rats: Hypervigilance And Spread Of Fear
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$353,248.00
Summary
Post-traumatic stress disorder is characterized by hypervigilance and spread of fear across a network of trauma related memories. The consequences of hypervigilance for information processing, and the mechanisms involved in the spread of fear, are unknown. This project uses animal models to identify these consequences and mechanisms, and their substrates in the brain. It examines how a network of trauma related memories can be erased, and thus, how core symptoms of the disorder may be treated.
Light, Sound And Touch Influence The Autonomic Nervous System Via A Non-canonical Pathway
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$329,666.00
Summary
We examine a recently discovered brain circuit through which visual and acoustic stimuli can interact with the neural systems that control breathing, blood pressure and heart rate. The outcomes of this project will characterise a pathway by which the external environment can interrupt the normal activity of systems vital for health and wellbeing independent of cognition.
Fostering Responsive Mental Health Systems In The Syrian Refugee Crisis
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$499,989.00
Summary
The current refugee crisis across Europe and the Middle East effects both individual refugees’ psychological well-being, as they face extreme stressors in their flight from their home country. In response to this crisis, this project aims to provide a framework for scaling-up the delivery and uptake of effective community-based mental health strategies to address the specific needs of refugees with mental health problems in ways that are affordable and can be delivered to millions of refugees.
Posttraumatic Mental Health: Advancing Understanding Of Diagnosis, Treatment And Mechanisms
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$7,590,920.00
Summary
Psychological disorders following exposure to trauma account for a significant proportion of the burden of disease in terms of personal suffering, decreased productivity, occupational dysfunction, and demands on health services. This project will enhance the nation's capacity to reduce psychological problems after trauma. This project will consolidate a critical mass of Australia's leading trauma researchers that will ensure that Australia retains its leading edge in posttraumatic research.
Network Biomarkers Of Traumatic Stress Resilience And Sensitivity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$647,344.00
Summary
Psychosocial stress is a major risk factor for several of the most debilitating mental illnesses including major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder. By understanding the genomic basis of resilience and adverse response to traumatic stress in humans, we may predict and prevent psychopathology. This international collaborative research will use blood from soldiers exposed to extreme combat experience to identify biomarkers of stress and resilience.