Cognitive dissonance, first described in 1956 by Festinger, is a psychological state in which one holds two conflicting beliefs at the same time. Most people are uncomfortable in this state of mind, and try to reduce the conflict,…
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In an earlier blog I indicated that dream revision as an antidote for nightmares is an old technique, perhaps even an ancient technique, used to sooth and assist children who awaken with nightmares. In working with PTSD patients, and in…
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Combat-related emotional stress has been called soldier’s heart, shell shock, battle fatigue, and since the early 1970’s, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Posttraumatic stress (PTS) is often said to be unique among currently defined…
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A recent editorial by Richard A. Friedman, MD, in the NY Sunday Times for 4/22/12, raises the issue of stimulant use possibly exacerbating PTSD symptoms in US soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. This is an important issue for the US…
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Bret was a San Diego County police officer, referred to me by the Sheriff’s Department for treatment of PTSD. He had shot and killed a bank robber at close range. When Bret arrived on the scene, he found the bank robber with a gun in his…
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In psychiatry we have three important diagnoses that command attention and respect. Insurance companies are more likely to pay when patients have one of these “parity” (equivalent to medical) diagnoses: schizophrenia, bipolar disorder,…
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While most people feel sad at times, these feelings usually go away in a few days. Sometimes the feelings persist and develop into “Major Depression,” when one remains depressed most of the day, nearly every day, for two weeks or more….
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Severe life-threatening traumatic events can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a syndrome that includes recurrent nightmares, vivid flashbacks, avoidant behaviors, memory deficits, feelings of detachment, excessive…
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During the period from 1991 to 1993 I was a Research Fellow in psychiatry at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). It was the time of the first Gulf War. Vietnam Veterans who had been hiding out in their homes or in the woods for…
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