OBJECTIVE: This study investigated trends in the study of phytochemical treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). METHODS: The Web of Science database (2007-2022) was searched using the search terms "phytochemicals" and "PTSD," and relevant literature was compiled. Network clustering co-occurrence analysis and qualitative narrative review were conducted. RESULTS: Three hundred and one articles were included in the analysis of published research, which has surged since 2015 with nearly half of all relevant articles coming from North America. The category is dominated by neuroscience and neurology, with two journals, Addictive Behaviors and Drug and Alcohol Dependence, publishing the greatest number of papers on these topics. Most studies focused on psychedelic intervention for PTSD. Three timelines show an "ebb and flow" phenomenon between "substance use/marijuana abuse" and "psychedelic medicine/medicinal cannabis." Other phytochemicals account for a small proportion of the research and focus on topics like neurosteroid turnover, serotonin levels, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression. CONCLUSION Research on phytochemicals and PTSD is unevenly distributed across countries/regions, disciplines, and journals. Since 2015, the research paradigm shifted to constitute the mainstream of psychedelic research thus far, leading to the exploration of botanical active ingredients and molecular mechanisms. Other studies focus on anti-oxidative stress and anti-inflammation. Please cite this article as: Gao B, Qu YC, Cai MY, Zhang YY, Lu HT, Li HX, Tang YX, Shen H. Phytochemical interventions for post-traumatic stress disorder: A cluster co-occurrence network analysis using CiteSpace. J Integr Med. 2023; 21(4):385-396.
Humans ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/drug therapy* ; Hallucinogens/therapeutic use* ; Substance-Related Disorders/drug therapy*

Torture is an extreme life stressor which increases the risk of serious psychological and physical sequelae of victims. Despite Geneva declaration, Amnesty International reports that torture remains as human rights issue in many sites of the world. Even in Korean peninsula, torture is a serions human rights issue. This paper is a critical review on torture; to describe its methods and effects, the assessment of psychological and physical sequelae, and its treatment. Torture also affects survivor's family. The more prolonged, repeated, and unpredictable the experience of torture is, the more serious psychiatric consequences are likely. Psychological responses and sequelae include not only symptoms of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), but also depression, personality changes, somatoform disorders and others. Diagnositic terms such as complex PTSD or torture syndrome have been used to denote the complexity of torture trauma. Treatment is a combination of pharmacotherapy, cognitive-behavioural therapy, guidance for of socialre readaptation. Ensuring safety and trust between survivors and medical staffs is important. Torture prevention is to expose the facts particularly health data to the public, and collaborate with international organizations fighting against torture. Preventive interventions is linked to a change in the underlying socio-political causes and to the creation of necessary conditions for human rights and development at the level of society.
Depression ; Drug Therapy ; Human Rights ; Humans ; Medical Staff ; Somatoform Disorders ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic ; Survivors ; Torture*

OBJECTIVE: Although the number of studies are increasing in the pharmacotherapy of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), few studies for the long-term effects of antidepressants on the treatment of PTSD were conducted. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of mirtazapine during 24-week continuation treatment in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder. METHODS: Out of 15 patients participating in the previous 8 weeks study, 12 patients completed 24 weeks treatment with mirtazapine. Efficacy was evaluated at 12-week and 24-week using Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), Short PTSD Rating Interview (SPRINT), Interviewer-Administered Structured Interview for PTSD (SIP) and Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). RESULTS: The scores on the IES-R, SPRINT, SIP and MADRS were significantly reduced by time from baseline to the end-point (F=36.1, df=4, p<0.001 ; F=106.3, df=4, p<0.001 ; F=121.1, df=4, p<0.001 ; F=198.9, df=4, p<0.001). On post hoc analysis, the scores of all 4 measures were significantly reduced at the end point since week 8. But, after Bonferroni correction, the reduced score was statistically significant in only SPRINT. The number of patients, whose scores reduced over 50% in all four scales, tended to increase from 3 at week 8 to 8 at the end point (p=0.063). No serious drug-related side effects were observed. CONCLUSION: This result suggests that the therapeutic effect of mirtazapine is maintained and may be even increased in the long-term treatment of PTSD. More studies in the pharmacotherapy of PTSD will be needed in the future.
Antidepressive Agents ; Depression ; Drug Therapy ; Humans ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic* ; Weights and Measures

This paper aims to investigate the active components and mechanism of Valerianae Jatamansi Rhizoma et Radix against post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD) based on network pharmacology and molecular docking. The main components and targets of Valerianae Jatamansi Rhizoma et Radix were obtained by literature mining methods, SwissTargetPrediction, BATMAN and ETCM database. PTSD-related genes were collected from DrugBank, TTD and CTD databases. The protein-protein interaction(PPI) network was constructed based on STRING, and the core targets of Valerianae Jatamansi Rhizoma et Radix in the treatment of PTSD were selected according to the topological parameters. Cytoscape 3.7.2 was used to construct the compound-target network. DAVID database was used for GO enrichment analysis and KEGG enrichment analysis. The relationship network of "compound-target-pathway" was constructed through Cytoscape 3.7.2 to analyze and obtain the key targets and their corresponding components in the network, and their results were verified by molecular docking. The results showed that a total of 47 components(such as valeraldehyde, dihydrovalerin, valerate, chlorovaltrate K, 8-hydroxypinoresinol, 6-hydroxyluteolin, apigenin, farnesin, vanillin, luteolin, kaempferol, glycosmisic acid and pogostemon) of Valerianae Jatamansi Rhizoma et Radix may act on 94 key targets such as CNR1, MAOA, NR3 C1, MAPK14, MAPK8, HTR2 C and DRD2. Totally 29 GO terms were obtained by GO functional enrichment analysis(P<0.05), and 20 signaling pathways were obtained from KEGG pathway enrichment, mainly involving neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, serotonergic synapse, calcium signaling pathway, cAMP signaling pathway, dopaminergic synapse, retrograde endocannabinoid signaling, neurotrophin signaling pathway, gap junction, cholinergic synapse, estrogen signaling pathway, glutamatergic synapse and long-term potentiation. Molecular docking analysis showed that hydrogen bonding, π-π interaction and hydrophobic effecting may be the main forms of interaction. This study used the network of compound-target-pathway and molecular docking technology to screen the effective components of Valerianae Jatamansi Rhizoma et Radix against PTSD, and explore its anti-PTSD mechanism, so as to provide scientific basis for exploring the anti-PTSD drugs from traditional Chinese medicine and clarifying its mechanism of action.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Molecular Docking Simulation ; Rhizome ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/drug therapy*

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to examine how patients' coping style and social support affect post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in breast cancer patients who are treated with chemotherapy. METHODS: The sample consisted of 134 outpatients who received breast cancer treatments at the cancer clinic of a university hospital. The collected data were analyzed by frequency, percentage, t-test, ANOVA, chi2-test, Pearson correlation coefficients using SPSS for Windows, version 18.0. RESULTS: Among total, 26.9% of patients were classified into a high-risk PTSD group. In the high-risk group, a positive correlation was found between active and passive coping styles and between social support and active coping styles. CONCLUSION: In this study, the stronger the social support was, the more active the coping style was for high-risk PTSD patients with breast cancer. Considering the fact that cancer requires life-long self-management, strong social support could improve patients' healthcare capability. Furthermore, solid social support could effectively reduce the stress level and improve the quality of life for breast cancer patients in the high-risk PTSD group.
Adaptation, Psychological ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Delivery of Health Care ; Drug Therapy* ; Humans ; Outpatients ; Quality of Life ; Self Care ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic*

This study examined the add-on efficacy of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy among adult civilians with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who continued to be symptomatic after more than 12 weeks of initial antidepressant treatment. Scores for the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) were rated pre- and post-EMDR and at a 6-month follow-up. After an average of six sessions of EMDR treatment, seven of 14 patients (50%) showed more than a 30% decrease in CAPS score and eight (57%) no longer met the criteria for PTSD. Our results indicate that EMDR could be successfully added after failure of initial pharmacotherapy for PTSD.
Adult* ; Antidepressive Agents ; Drug Therapy* ; Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing ; Eye Movements* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic*

Conditioned fear and its abnormal extinction are involved in the psychopathology of anxiety disorders, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Cognitive enhancing agents have been demonstrated to alter fear extinction in many animal research literatures. The present review has examined the pharmacological role of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamatergic, cholinergic, adrenergic, dopaminergic, and cannabinoid as well as compounds able to alter the epigenetic and neurotrophic mechanism in fear extinction, highlighting great hope for the future treatment of anxiety disorders with new agents based on the fear extinction.
Animals ; Anxiety Disorders ; drug therapy ; psychology ; Cannabinoids ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Conditioning, Psychological ; drug effects ; Extinction, Psychological ; drug effects ; Fear ; drug effects ; psychology ; Humans ; Nootropic Agents ; pharmacology ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic ; drug therapy ; psychology ; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is relatively common and chronic illness that causes severe functional impairment. Though many studies have been done, PTSD is still difficult to understand because of heterogeneity of its nature and other psychiatric comorbidities. But the last decades have brought new appreciation for the complexity and the diversity of clinical features and improved treatment approaches. Achieving complete remission from PTSD through pharmacotherapy alone appears out of reach currently. Antidepressants appear to demonstrate the best overall efficacy for the treament of PTSD, especially in patients with combined depression, insomnia, intrusive and hyperarousal symptoms. Though data for different efficacy among antidepressants are not known, tricyclic antidepressants and monoamine oxidase inhibitor appear to be effective in severe war PTSD patients and SSRIs appear to be more effective in avoidance/numbness symptoms. Considering their ease of use and tolerability, it is reasonable to choose SSRIs such as paroxetine and sertraline as a first-line treatment. Mood stabilizers are effective, especially for impulsivity, irritability and unstable mood. More studies are needed to confirm the efficacy of benzodiazepine, though it is used for inosmnia, panic symptoms and anxiety. Though there is little empirical date demonstrating the efficacy of antipsychotics, they may provide effective strategy if psychotics symptoms are combined. The future of therapy for PTSD holds much hope with the rapid development of psychopharmacology and elucidation of pathophysiology of PTSD.
Antidepressive Agents ; Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic ; Antipsychotic Agents ; Anxiety ; Benzodiazepines ; Chronic Disease ; Comorbidity ; Depression ; Drug Therapy* ; Hope ; Humans ; Impulsive Behavior ; Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors ; Panic ; Paroxetine ; Population Characteristics ; Psychopharmacology ; Sertraline ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic*

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is relatively common and chronic illness that causes severe functional impairment. Though many studies have been done, PTSD is still difficult to understand because of heterogeneity of its nature and other psychiatric comorbidities. But the last decades have brought new appreciation for the complexity and the diversity of clinical features and improved treatment approaches. Achieving complete remission from PTSD through pharmacotherapy alone appears out of reach currently. Antidepressants appear to demonstrate the best overall efficacy for the treament of PTSD, especially in patients with combined depression, insomnia, intrusive and hyperarousal symptoms. Though data for different efficacy among antidepressants are not known, tricyclic antidepressants and monoamine oxidase inhibitor appear to be effective in severe war PTSD patients and SSRIs appear to be more effective in avoidance/numbness symptoms. Considering their ease of use and tolerability, it is reasonable to choose SSRIs such as paroxetine and sertraline as a first-line treatment. Mood stabilizers are effective, especially for impulsivity, irritability and unstable mood. More studies are needed to confirm the efficacy of benzodiazepine, though it is used for inosmnia, panic symptoms and anxiety. Though there is little empirical date demonstrating the efficacy of antipsychotics, they may provide effective strategy if psychotics symptoms are combined. The future of therapy for PTSD holds much hope with the rapid development of psychopharmacology and elucidation of pathophysiology of PTSD.
Antidepressive Agents ; Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic ; Antipsychotic Agents ; Anxiety ; Benzodiazepines ; Chronic Disease ; Comorbidity ; Depression ; Drug Therapy* ; Hope ; Humans ; Impulsive Behavior ; Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors ; Panic ; Paroxetine ; Population Characteristics ; Psychopharmacology ; Sertraline ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic*