What efforts are under way to improve the detection and treatment of PTSD?

Researchers have learned a lot in the last decade about fear, stress, and PTSD. Scientists are also learning about how people form memories. This is important because creating very powerful fear-related memories seems to be a major part of PTSD. Researchers are also exploring how people can create “safety” memories to replace the bad memories that form after a trauma. NIMH’s goal in supporting this research is to improve treatment and find ways to prevent the disorder.

PTSD research also includes the following examples:

• Using powerful new research methods, such as brain imaging and the study of genes, to find out more about what leads to PTSD, when it happens, and who is most at risk.
• Trying to understand why some people get PTSD and others do not. Knowing this can help health care professionals predict who might get PTSD and provide early treatment.
• Focusing on ways to examine pre-trauma, trauma, and post-trauma risk and resilience factors all at once.
• Looking for treatments that reduce the impact traumatic memories have on our emotions.
• Improving the way people are screened for PTSD, given early treatment, and tracked after a mass trauma.
• Developing new approaches in self-testing and screening to help people know when it’s time to call a doctor.
• Testing ways to help family doctors detect and treat PTSD or refer people with PTSD to mental health specialists.

For more information on PTSD research, please see NIMH’s PTSD Research online Fact Sheet or the PTSD Clinical Trials Web site.

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