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Complex PTSD Therapy Helped Affect Regulation Most

A 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials found no broad superiority for phase-based complex PTSD care across most outcomes. Affect dysregulation was the clearest exception, improving more when treatment was phase-based, multi-phase, and exposure-containing. Research Highlights Most therapy formats helped: across waitlist and treatment-as-usual comparisons, psychological interventions reduced PTSD symptoms (k = 9; …

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PTSD Social Function Therapy Improved Family Function in Older Veterans

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A 2026 pilot randomized trial involving 36 older U.S. veterans with PTSD symptoms found that a structured social-function group therapy produced stronger signals for romantic and family functioning than a support group, with condition-by-time effects of eta-squared = 0.072 and eta-squared = 0.112. The same trial did not show a specific advantage for friendships and …

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Whole-Family Domestic Violence Intervention: 83 Parent Interviews

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A 2026 qualitative study of the For Baby’s Sake domestic-violence program used 83 interviews with 39 parents and found a practical engagement pattern: parenting work gave some mothers and fathers a way into safety planning, violence acknowledgment, and emotional-regulation change.1 Research Highlights Longitudinal interviews showed the engagement route: researchers conducted 83 interviews with 39 parents, …

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Esketamine Can Trigger Trauma Re-Experiencing in PTSD

Photoreal illustration of a patient receiving nasal spray with overlay of trauma memory imagery, conveying esketamine + PTSD interaction.

A 2026 retrospective case series of 22 adults with treatment-resistant depression and comorbid PTSD found that trauma re-experiencing during intranasal esketamine disappeared over later sessions in 72.7% of patients, while 27.3% stopped esketamine because the flashbacks persisted.1 Research Highlights Flashbacks usually faded, but not always: In 16 of 22 patients (72.7%), esketamine-related trauma re-experiencing disappeared …

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1 mg Guanfacine for Self-Harm Thoughts in ADHD-PTSD-BPD Case

MHD featured image for 1 mg guanfacine and self-harm thoughts in complex ADHD, PTSD, BPD, and ASD comorbidity.

A 2026 case report linked 1 mg nightly guanfacine modified-release to first-ever cessation of intrusive deliberate self-harm thoughts in a 16-year-old with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD) traits, borderline personality disorder (BPD) traits, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The same case became more interesting after the patient stopped taking guanfacine and the self-harm …

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Astrocyte Calcium Signals Shape Amygdala Fear Memory and Extinction in Mice

Photoreal illustration of astrocytes interacting with neurons in the amygdala, conveying glial role in fear circuit dynamics.

A 2026 Nature mouse study found that basolateral amygdala astrocyte Ca2+ signals tracked fear retrieval and extinction, then showed causality: 3 mg/kg CNO manipulations of astrocyte DREADDs pushed early-extinction freezing in opposite directions while both disrupting later extinction retrieval.1 Research Highlights Astrocytes tracked fear state: after 3 tone-shock pairings and 2 days of 25 cue-only …

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