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Contents contributed and discussions participated by Zach Fenlon

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Zach Fenlon

PTSD Symptoms Common Among ICU Survivors - 02/26/2013 - 1 views

www.hopkinsmedicine.org/...oms_common_among_icu_survivors

shared by Zach Fenlon on 03 May 13 - No Cached
  • Condition long linked to war veterans found in one in three ventilated patients
    • Zach Fenlon
      Zach Fenlon on 03 May 13
       
      Shocking statistic
  • PTSD Symptoms Common Among ICU Survivors
    • Zach Fenlon
      Zach Fenlon on 03 May 13
       
      Credible source because it comes from a very well known medical facility. 
  • a critical care specialist at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and senior author of the study published online in Psychological Medicine
    • Zach Fenlon
      Zach Fenlon on 03 May 13
       
      makes the research credible 
  • ...15 more annotations...
  • it may be as common, or more common, in ICU patients as in soldiers
    • Zach Fenlon
      Zach Fenlon on 03 May 13
       
      I didn't realize not only that this was a possible cause of PTSD but also that it was so highly frequent. 
  • "We need to pay more attention to preventing and treating PTSD in these patients."
  • they often experience flashbacks about delusions or hallucinations they had in the hospital
    • Zach Fenlon
      Zach Fenlon on 03 May 13
       
      i find this very strange and interesting that their reocurring memories/ nightmares are of figurative events. 
  • being given sedatives and narcotics -- may lead to "memories" of horrible things that didn’t happen
  • "One woman thought her husband and the nurse were plotting to kill her,"
  • For the study, the Johns Hopkins team observed 520 mechanically ventilated patients with ALI,
    • Zach Fenlon
      Zach Fenlon on 03 May 13
       
      Very thorough research
  • The researchers found that 66 of the 186 patients (35 percent) had clinically significant symptoms of PTSD,
  • Sixty-two percent of the survivors who developed PTSD still had symptoms at their two-year visit.
  • Half of this same group was taking psychiatric medications, and 40 percent had seen a psychiatrist in the two years since being hospitalized with ALI.
    • Zach Fenlon
      Zach Fenlon on 03 May 13
       
      Even with both types of treatments, many patients were still suffering from PTSD
  • The researchers also found that patients with depression before hospitalization were twice as likely to develop PTSD,
    • Zach Fenlon
      Zach Fenlon on 03 May 13
       
      Similar statement to my research from Harvard Medical Center. 
  • This inflammation may lead to a breakdown in the blood-brain barrier, which alters the impact on the brain of narcotics, sedatives and other drugs prescribed in the ICU.
  • Bienvenu says patients who have these risk factors need special attention. Simply educating them and their primary care doctors about the increased risk for PTSD would be a step in the right direction, he adds.
    • Zach Fenlon
      Zach Fenlon on 03 May 13
       
      This is one of the most simple tactics i have read on preventing PTSD
  • he symptoms fall into three categories: reliving the traumatic experience (flashbacks, nightmares), avoidance (feeling numb, detached, staying away from people and places that serve as reminders of the experience), and hyperarousal (being easily startled, having difficulty sleeping, irritability).
    • Zach Fenlon
      Zach Fenlon on 03 May 13
       
      These are the exact same symptoms that The Harvard Medical Institution describes. 
  • "psychological rehab" now deserves attention.
  • The intervention reduced PTSD symptoms by helping patients make sense of their ICU memories,
    • Zach Fenlon
      Zach Fenlon on 03 May 13
       
      A proven way to reduce PTSD. Very interesting. 
Zach Fenlon

Post-traumatic stress disorder - TheFamily Health Guide - 1 views

www.health.harvard.edu/...update0405d.shtml

shared by Zach Fenlon on 03 May 13 - No Cached
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder
    • Zach Fenlon
      Zach Fenlon on 03 May 13
       
      This link is credible because it is from studies conducted by the well known University Harvard
  • Under the current official definition, PTSD is diagnosed only if you have been exposed to actual or threatened death or serious injury and responded with fear, helplessness, or horror.
  • The point in a person’s life when a trauma occurs may also predict her likelihood of developing the disorder.
  • ...12 more annotations...
  • some women develop PTSD after a traumatic childbirth.
    • Zach Fenlon
      Zach Fenlon on 03 May 13
       
      I find this very interesting, i was completely unaware that a milestone this common could lead to PTSD. 
  • PTSD may also occur following a heart attack or diagnosis of cancer.
    • Zach Fenlon
      Zach Fenlon on 03 May 13
       
      More examples that i never even considered possible. 
  • Avoidance: Avoiding thoughts, feelings, activities, places, and people associated with the trauma. This may result in social withdrawal and becoming numb to positive as well as negative emotions.
    • Zach Fenlon
      Zach Fenlon on 03 May 13
       
      I did not know this to be a symptom. I wonder how easy it would be to identify. 
  • Symptoms lasting more than three months are considered chronic PTSD
  • Occasionally, someone develops “delayed PTSD” six months later or more, following a reminder of the event.
  • In the June 28, 2004, Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers from the Veterans Administration reported that women with PTSD have more medical conditions and worse physical health than non-traumatized women, even those with depression.
    • Zach Fenlon
      Zach Fenlon on 03 May 13
       
      At first i only associated PTSD with causing suicide, but i didn't realize that it is also impacted the physical health or it's subjects. 
  • “The amygdala appears to be overreactive in PTSD. We’re currently examining whether it is already overreactive, making someone more vulnerable to PTSD, or becomes that way in response to trauma,”
    • Zach Fenlon
      Zach Fenlon on 03 May 13
       
      This interests me because from what i understand, perhaps PTSD could be avoided in patients who are already more vulnerable. 
  • the hippocampus and the anterior cingulate cortex, appear not to function as well in those with PTSD.”
  • gradual and repeated exposure can reduce symptoms and help change how you respond to the triggering situations.
  • although not all clinical trials have shown them to work better than placebo.
    • Zach Fenlon
      Zach Fenlon on 03 May 13
       
      I would like to read more on some of these studies. 
  • adrenaline acts to strengthen memories,
  • testing whether an adrenaline-reducing medication, the hypertension drug propranolol, might help block abnormal memory formation and prevent PTSD.
Zach Fenlon

The cognitive benefits of play: Effects on the learning brain - 0 views

www.parentingscience.com/benefits-of-play.html

brain psychology play

shared by Zach Fenlon on 06 Apr 13 - No Cached
  • In 1964, Marion Diamond and her colleagues published an exciting paper about brain growth in rats. The neuroscientists had conducted a landmark experiment, raising some rats in boring, solitary confinement and others in exciting, toy-filled colonies.
    • Zach Fenlon
      Zach Fenlon on 06 Apr 13
       
      This is very interesting because it proves the research that i found for my project but with new studies. It is also amazing to see that this topic has been researched since the 60s.
  • the “enriched” rats had thicker cerebral cortices than did the “impoverished” rats (Diamond et al 1964).
  • rats raised stimulating environments had bigger brains.
    • Zach Fenlon
      Zach Fenlon on 06 Apr 13
       
      I wasn't aware that play could affect even the size of the brain, even though it is rats and not humans. I was always under the impression that the brain doesn't change sizes once it has reached it's adult state.
  • ...8 more annotations...
  • Several experimental studies show that school kids pay more attention to academics after they’ve had recess
  • Note that physical education classes are not effective substitutes for free playtime
    • Zach Fenlon
      Zach Fenlon on 06 Apr 13
       
      This means that the affects of organized play are not as valuable as free play. 
  • To reap all the benefits of play, a play break must be truly playful.
  • when kids pretend together—“results in improved performances in both cognitive-linguistic and social affective domains.”
    • Zach Fenlon
      Zach Fenlon on 06 Apr 13
       
      this is exactly what i discussed in my project. 
  • Some research suggests that the way kids play contributes to their ability to solve divergent problems.
  • The results? Kids given divergent play materials performed better on divergent problems. They also showed more creativity in their attempts to solve the problems (Pepler and Ross 1981).
  • Researchers found that the complexity of block play predicted kids’ mathematics achievements in high school.
    • Zach Fenlon
      Zach Fenlon on 06 Apr 13
       
      I didn't realize that studies have identified what play affects what skills. 
  • The association between block play and math performance remained even after researchers controlled for a child’s IQ. It therefore seems plausible that block play itself influenced the cognitive development of these kids.
  • Zach Fenlon on 06 Apr 13
     
    This link was very interesting because it specified new elements of how play affects the play, even what types of play.
Zach Fenlon

Reading, Writing, and Games Can Keep Aging Brains Healthy - 0 views

psychology.about.com/...-keep-aging-brains-healthy.htm

psychology play

shared by Zach Fenlon on 06 Apr 13 - No Cached
    • Zach Fenlon
      Zach Fenlon on 06 Apr 13
       
      I found this to be very interested because after my research, i was under the impression that reading and writing didn't contribute to the healthy brain as much as other kinds of play
  • Using brain imaging, researchers were able to look at how water molecules move through the brain. This movement can be affected by factors such as age, disease, and injury. "In healthy white matter tissue, water can't move as much in directions perpendicular to the nerve fibers,"
    • Zach Fenlon
      Zach Fenlon on 06 Apr 13
       
      I found this very interesting because in my research i never fully understood the physical aspect of play to the brain. Now i can combine my knowledge and truly understand how play makes a difference 
  • Participants in the study included 152 elderly adults who were part of a large-scale study on Alzheimer's disease risk factors.
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • They also underwent brain MRI scans. Participants who reported higher cognitive activity levels were found to have higher diffusion anisotropy values in the brain.
  • but this new research also suggests that such things can also help preserve the brain's structural integrity.
  • Zach Fenlon on 06 Apr 13
     
    This link was very interesting because in my project i focused mostly on play in childhood brain development, and not as much in adults. I think this link shows just another reason why play is so important, to adults specifically.
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