Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is rare among anxiety disorders in that its origins can be pinpointed not only based on genetic predisposition but to a specific moment in time. This severe anxiety disorder occurs following exposure to an event of significant psychological trauma. That event could be anything from a car crash to witnessing a terrorist attack. The disease is more common than you might think, with an estimated 7.8 percent of Americans experiencing PTSD at some point in their lives, according to the Nebraska Department of Veterans Affairs. Women are about twice as likely as men to suffer from PTSD, but one group, men and women, who have an extremely high disposition to developing post-traumatic stress disorder are military veterans. A shocking 30 percent of men and women who have served in war zones are believed to have suffered from PTSD.
While most are not diagnosed with PTSD until at least a month after the initial event (symptoms include flashbacks or nightmares, and avoidance of stimuli linked to trauma), Israeli researchers believe that it may be possible to prevent the onset of PTSD with a “morning after pill.”
In a study involving individuals who had been involved in traffic accidents, Israeli researchers found that administering a hormone soon after the event reduced the risk of developing PTSD by 80 percent. The project was led by Professor Joseph Zohar, head of the psychiatry department at Sheba Medical Center, and Tel Hashomer, chairman of the Israeli Consortium on PTSD.
“Most psychiatric conditions, such as depression or even schizophrenia, develop gradually and not at a specific point in time, but PTSD appears in response to a specific traumatic event,” explained Zohar.
“The treatment of post-trauma in the past several years is rich in myth and thin on facts, especially when it comes to first-aid after exposure to trauma,” he added.
Conservative approaches to treating victims of psychological trauma usually include administering tranquilizers, like Valium. The goal of this is to relax the victim. However, recent research has shown that this might be doing more harm than good. By delaying the release of cortisol in the body, tranquilizers might be reducing the body’s ability to fight the onset of PTSD. American medial organizations have since discouraged this line of treatment.
In a study carried out by the anxiety and stress research unit of Be’er Sheva’s Ben-Gurion University of the Negevpublished in 2008, mice which experienced elevated stress levels by being exposed to cat urine were treated successfully with the administration of cortisol.
The human trial which this inspired involved 24 participants who had shown high stress levels after being admitted to hospitals following car accidents. Half were given a 100 milligram injection of cortisol, and subsequently, only one showed signs of PTSD, and after three months, none showed signs. The control group, which were administered a placebo, had three cases of PTSD.
Time is key, with cortisol treatments believed to only be effective during the first 6 hours after exposure to psychological trauma. If further research confirms the cortisol hypothesis, this could have a tremendous impact on millions, whether they be victims of rape or assault, or suffered any other psychological trauma.
“The work raises the possibility in the future of developing a rapid treatment that could be given to people, such as combat soldiers, who have been exposed to traumatic events. There is a need for an agent that could be administered in the field and that does not impair motor responses or performance and that does not have a soporific effect – and cortisone meets these requirements,” Zohar said.
The results of the trial will be published in the December issue of the European journal Neuropsychopharmacology.
