Latest news with #PTSD
Time of India
20 hours ago
- Health
- Time of India
Shocking! Chronic stress can even alter memories, brain conditioning
A recent study reveals that stress significantly alters memory encoding and retrieval, potentially exacerbating conditions like PTSD. Researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children discovered that stress triggers the release of endocannabinoids, enlarging memory engrams and causing fear generalization. This breakthrough offers hope for targeted therapies by blocking endocannabinoid receptors, potentially restoring memory specificity and alleviating debilitating PTSD symptoms. Amidst chasing deadlines at work and trying to balance personal commitments, stress has become a constant companion for many. While several studies have linked chronic stress to various health issues, new data suggests that it may even affect how you remember things. Yes, that's right. A recent study suggests that stress not only changes how we feel but also reshapes how we remember. A study led by researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children has uncovered that stress changes how our brain encodes and retrieves aversive memories. This could be a breakthrough in restoring appropriate memory specificity in people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The findings of the study are published in the Cell . Memories and stress Want to keep your mind sharp? If you happen to stumble during a presentation, the chances are you might feel stressed the next time. This is because your brain associates your next presentation with that one poor and aversive experience. This type of stress is tied to one memory. The researchers also found that stress from traumatic events like violence or generalized anxiety disorder can lead to stress-induced aversive memory generalization, where fireworks or car backfires can trigger seemingly unrelated fearful memories and derail your entire day. In PTSD, it can be worse. 'A little bit of stress is good, it's what gets you up in the morning when your alarm goes off, but too much stress can be debilitating. We know that people with PTSD show fearful responses to safe situations or environments, and have found a way to limit this fearful response to specific situations and potentially reduce the harmful effects of PTSD,' Dr. Sheena Josselyn, senior scientist in the Neurosciences & Mental Health program, said. Stress-induced memory generalization To understand how this generalization of stress with traumatic incidence forms, the researchers created a preclinical model in which subjects were exposed to mild stress before an aversive event. This triggered non-specific fearful memories that extended beyond the original trauma, much like PTSD symptoms in humans. They studied memory engrams, which are clusters of neurons that store specific memories within the brain. Normally sparse, these engrams became significantly larger under stress, involving more neurons and producing fear even in safe environments. They found that stress can cause an increase in the release of endocannabinoids (endogenous cannabinoids), which are naturally occurring chemicals in the brain that normally help shape specific memories. When stressed, too many of these are released, overwhelming the brain's interneurons that usually contain the memory of a specific engram. 'Endocannabinoid receptors function like a velvet rope at an exclusive club. When stress induces the release of too many endocannabinoids, the velvet rope falls, causing more generalized aversive fearful memories to form. By blocking these endocannabinoid receptors just on these specific interneurons, we could essentially prevent one of the most debilitating symptoms of PTSD,' Josselyn explained. Link between stress and the developing brain Previous research found that the developing brain forms larger, more generalized memory engrams than the adult brain, similar to those triggered by stress. 'The many biological functions and processes that make up the complexity of human memory are still being uncovered. We hope that as we better understand human memory, we can inform real-world therapies for those with various psychiatric and other brain disorders throughout their lifespan,' Dr. Paul Frankland added.
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Health
- Irish Times
Trafficked women can spend their life recovering from mental trauma, says campaigner
Women trafficked for sexual exploitation can spend their lives trying to deal with the mental trauma of what they have endured, a campaigner against sexual violence has revealed. Barbara Condon, the chief executive of Ruhama, said that human trafficking for sex has been described as 'the worst example of what one human being can do to another human being.' Speaking at the official launch of Ruhama's Cork-Kerry support service, Ms Condon revealed that the service, which has been operational since April 2024, has helped support some 80 women who were the victims of sexual exploitation in the southwest. She explained that Ruhama, which supports women impacted by prostitution and human trafficking, works with 'a hidden cohort of women, often ignored, overlooked and marginalised, trafficked women who are highly transient with no addresses, no bank accounts who are subjected to sexual violence in every town and city across Ireland.' She said that human trafficking and sexual exploitation brings with it complex trauma, not just physical but also mental with many victims developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) which can often lead to addiction, homelessness and further exploitation. 'But the biggest thing probably that the women face is the stigma and the discrimination and the shame,' she said. 'Nobody should be stigmatised because they've been sexually assaulted or sexually violated – recovery from sexual violence and sexual exploitation is lifelong because of what they've endured.' Ms Condon said that there was 'a huge silence around sexual exploitation' which made it difficult for people to speak about it, but Ruhama helped through talking and listening to the victims of such exploitation, but society needs to step up more to address the problem and the stigma. 'And the shame, the shame is what keeps women stuck long after they've exited and the shame really comes from most of depraved and degrading acts that nobody in this room can actually imagine unless they've been through and it really is unbelievable.' Ms Condon said that one the findings of a new study commissioned by Ruhama entitled Room for Recovery – Housing Hope After Exploitation was that accommodation was an essential part of the set of assistance measures necessary for victims of trafficking if they are to recover. 'Both the National Action Plan on Trafficking and the Third National Strategy for Domestic Sexual and Gender Based Violence are crystal clear on the crucial importance of gender-specific specialist accommodation for victims of human trafficking for sexual exploitation,' she said. 'The continued accommodation of these victims-survivors with their particular vulnerabilities among the general asylum reception and the general International Protection Accommodation Service is inhumane and untenable.' One survivor of human trafficking and sexual exploitation, who wished to remain anonymous, said that the new Cork-Kerry service will offer not just support and safety but also compassion and hope for those who have endured great trauma from what they have been through. 'I carried enormous shame especially after discovering there was footage of my abuse – videos taken without consent, passed around like I was an object- that kind of violation leaves scars deeper than words,' she said. 'It makes you question if you are even human any more – I wanted to disappear – the new Ruhama Cork-Kerry service will be a place where trauma is named, shame is lifted and women come home to themselves.' Taoiseach Michéal Martin paid tribute to Ruhama for the work that the organisation is doing and he said the opening of the Cork-Kerry service was a vital step towards providing vital support and to 'some of the most vulnerable women in appalling circumstances' so they can rebuild their lives. 'The services delivered by Ruhama in this sector and on the frontline with victims are essential as we move forward with the Government's National Action Plan on Trafficking and our zero tolerance strategy for tackling domestic, sexual and gender-based violence,' he said.
The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
Father-of-three suing Tui at High Court over quad bike crash ‘not same person'
A father-of-three who is suing holiday provider Tui at the High Court after a quad bike crash is 'not the same person' after the incident, and the pain he suffers can be 'unbearable', he has said. Tony Holliday, 57, needed two operations on his fractured right leg and also suffered head, shoulder and hand injuries, after his quad bike crashed into rocks and he was thrown from the vehicle while on holiday in Cape Verde in March 2023. The property developer, who travelled to the island off the coast of west Africa with his wife, Bev, and two of his daughters, Keeley and Rhianna, now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. He is taking legal action against Tui UK and seeking more than £500,000 in damages, claiming the quad bike excursion, which was provided as compensation for lost luggage and their original rooms smelling of sewage, was misrepresented as suitable for beginners and came without adequate safety instructions. Tui is understood to be opposing the claim and is due to file its defence at the High Court later this year. Speaking to the PA news agency from his home near Cockermouth, in the Lake District, Cumbria, Mr Holliday said: 'It has affected the full family. 'I'm not the same person I was. I have anxiety, I struggle sleeping at night, going over the same accident, or similar events like that. 'I haven't got the confidence I used to have, and I'm always worrying (about) what's going to happen next with my injury.' Mrs Holliday said: 'It's turned our lives upside down, really.' The family flew to Sal, Cape Verde, on March 1, 2023, for a week-long holiday costing £4,166.72, their first time visiting the country. In court documents filed by law firm Stewarts, which is representing Mr Holliday, Sarah Prager KC said that on arrival, the family found their luggage had been lost, although it was later found. They then found their rooms 'smelled very strongly of sewage', and replacement rooms were offered. Ms Prager said Tui representatives offered a free excursion to compensate for the issues and recommended quad biking, claiming this was 'suitable for total beginners'. She said that 'in reliance on this representation' the family booked a two-hour trip for March 6. She said Tui described the excursion online as an 'off-road adventure', an 'action-packed excursion', and 'four adrenaline-pumping hours' on 'very powerful machines'. Mr Holliday believed the excursion was provided by Tui, but later found out it was organised by a local provider. Ms Prager said that at the start of the trip, the family were shown the location of the quad bikes' ignition, accelerator, throttle and brake, and were advised to keep a five-metre distance between each other, but received no other instructions and were not offered a test drive. She said that after ascending a mountain on a volcanic trail, the family then descended, but the bikes lost grip and Mr Holliday's brakes did not work. This caused him to swerve to avoid the bike ridden by one of his daughters, he collided with rocks and was thrown from the vehicle. Ms Prager said the accident was caused by the route being 'unsuitable for beginners', Mr Holliday and his family being given 'wholly inadequate instruction', and the quad bike being 'defective'. Mr Holliday returned to the UK the next day and underwent two surgeries. His insurance provider did not cover the cost of his medical treatment and repatriation, as quad biking is considered a hazardous activity. While his right leg was saved, he continues to experience pain and discomfort, and occasionally needs crutches. He claimed he joined the excursion as he trusted the Tui brand, and was bringing legal action to raise awareness of health and safety issues on similar trips. He said: 'I just want this to stop. I think that health and safety should be a key issue. 'What we went through, had it not been for Tui's name and brand, I don't think we would have gone through with it. It was shocking.' Mr Holliday – an 'avid' runner before the crash – said he has tried to get back into the sport despite suffering from 'unbearable' pain, with his leg sometimes swelling 'like a football'. He completed a local parkrun last summer, supported by family and friends, as he described himself as 'somebody who just can't use the words where they say 'you can't, you never will''. He said: 'The surgeon said I would never run, I would never be able to walk without the limp. 'I had to prove to myself, I will fight everything to try and get there.' A spokesperson for Tui said: 'We are sorry that Mr Holliday was injured during his holiday to Cape Verde. 'As this is now a legal matter, we are unable to comment any further at this time.'
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Father-of-three suing Tui at High Court over quad bike crash ‘not same person'
A father-of-three who is suing holiday provider Tui at the High Court after a quad bike crash is 'not the same person' after the incident, and the pain he suffers can be 'unbearable', he has said. Tony Holliday, 57, needed two operations on his fractured right leg and also suffered head, shoulder and hand injuries, after his quad bike crashed into rocks and he was thrown from the vehicle while on holiday in Cape Verde in March 2023. The property developer, who travelled to the island off the coast of west Africa with his wife, Bev, and two of his daughters, Keeley and Rhianna, now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. He is taking legal action against Tui UK and seeking more than £500,000 in damages, claiming the quad bike excursion, which was provided as compensation for lost luggage and their original rooms smelling of sewage, was misrepresented as suitable for beginners and came without adequate safety instructions. Tui is understood to be opposing the claim and is due to file its defence at the High Court later this year. Speaking to the PA news agency from his home near Cockermouth, in the Lake District, Cumbria, Mr Holliday said: 'It has affected the full family. 'I'm not the same person I was. I have anxiety, I struggle sleeping at night, going over the same accident, or similar events like that. 'I haven't got the confidence I used to have, and I'm always worrying (about) what's going to happen next with my injury.' Mrs Holliday said: 'It's turned our lives upside down, really.' The family flew to Sal, Cape Verde, on March 1, 2023, for a week-long holiday costing £4,166.72, their first time visiting the country. In court documents filed by law firm Stewarts, which is representing Mr Holliday, Sarah Prager KC said that on arrival, the family found their luggage had been lost, although it was later found. They then found their rooms 'smelled very strongly of sewage', and replacement rooms were offered. Ms Prager said Tui representatives offered a free excursion to compensate for the issues and recommended quad biking, claiming this was 'suitable for total beginners'. She said that 'in reliance on this representation' the family booked a two-hour trip for March 6. She said Tui described the excursion online as an 'off-road adventure', an 'action-packed excursion', and 'four adrenaline-pumping hours' on 'very powerful machines'. Mr Holliday believed the excursion was provided by Tui, but later found out it was organised by a local provider. Ms Prager said that at the start of the trip, the family were shown the location of the quad bikes' ignition, accelerator, throttle and brake, and were advised to keep a five-metre distance between each other, but received no other instructions and were not offered a test drive. She said that after ascending a mountain on a volcanic trail, the family then descended, but the bikes lost grip and Mr Holliday's brakes did not work. This caused him to swerve to avoid the bike ridden by one of his daughters, he collided with rocks and was thrown from the vehicle. Ms Prager said the accident was caused by the route being 'unsuitable for beginners', Mr Holliday and his family being given 'wholly inadequate instruction', and the quad bike being 'defective'. Mr Holliday returned to the UK the next day and underwent two surgeries. His insurance provider did not cover the cost of his medical treatment and repatriation, as quad biking is considered a hazardous activity. While his right leg was saved, he continues to experience pain and discomfort, and occasionally needs crutches. He claimed he joined the excursion as he trusted the Tui brand, and was bringing legal action to raise awareness of health and safety issues on similar trips. He said: 'I just want this to stop. I think that health and safety should be a key issue. 'What we went through, had it not been for Tui's name and brand, I don't think we would have gone through with it. It was shocking.' Mr Holliday – an 'avid' runner before the crash – said he has tried to get back into the sport despite suffering from 'unbearable' pain, with his leg sometimes swelling 'like a football'. He completed a local parkrun last summer, supported by family and friends, as he described himself as 'somebody who just can't use the words where they say 'you can't, you never will''. He said: 'The surgeon said I would never run, I would never be able to walk without the limp. 'I had to prove to myself, I will fight everything to try and get there.' A spokesperson for Tui said: 'We are sorry that Mr Holliday was injured during his holiday to Cape Verde. 'As this is now a legal matter, we are unable to comment any further at this time.'
BBC News
2 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Miscarriage: 'Don't tell me my baby wasn't meant to be'
"There was probably something wrong with your baby", "you could always try again", "it wasn't meant to be".These are just a sample of the comments Siobhan Gorman experienced when her baby died 16 weeks into her pregnancy."It's not out of malice, I found a lot of people just don't know what to say," said the teacher from 35, was home alone when she went into labour and gave birth to her baby experience has left her with both post-traumatic stress disorder and a determination to educate others about the reality of miscarriage, as well as how to support those who experience it. Warning: Article contains graphic description of miscarriage which some readers may find upsetting. On 23 January last year, Siobhan began experiencing sickness, pains in her bump and blood loss so went to an emergency gynaecology a urine test she was told her symptoms were most likely signs an infection and was sent home with antibiotics. With her partner away in Italy she stayed home to rest but the following evening felt a shooting pain in her bump so intense that it made her drop to the floor."And then my waters broke and I ended up giving birth on my bathroom floor alone," she said. Unable to reach her phone she tried yelling for her neighbours, but her shouts went she could do was remain in the bathroom, holding her tiny baby. "My baby was alive but 16 weeks is too young," she said through tears."I'm holding my baby and I could tell that there was nothing I could do."My baby had 10 tiny fingers and toes and eyes and ears and was perfectly formed but was just tiny, the size of a pear." She was eventually able to get to her phone and call her mother who was nearby. "I didn't even say what happened, I just said 'you need to get to the house'," she said. An ambulance was called for but there was a long wait so her father drove her to the nearest hospital."I stood in A&E with my baby in a towel," she said. "I was told that my baby had died and my world just changed." Siobhan said she was able to find support from charities including Morgan's Wings and Petals. She said her school were amazingly supportive and she was able take 16 weeks sick she welcomed news that parents who experience a miscarriage before 24 weeks of pregnancy will be entitled to bereavement leave under a planned change to the Employment Rights Bill."I wasn't ill, my baby had died," she said. After a six-month wait for a post mortem, which did not provide any answers, they were able to have a funeral. Birth certificates are not issued for babies born before 24 weeks England, parents who lose a baby before 24 weeks of pregnancy can receive a certificate in recognition of their loss but no equivalent is available in means the only paperwork Siobhan has to show Archie existed is a cremation months on, Siobhan can't believe how naïve she was about miscarriage until it happened to her. "I assumed that you would bleed and you'd be told that there's no heartbeat, I didn't even consider the multiple other forms of baby loss that are out there," she said. If a baby dies before 24 completed weeks of pregnancy, it is known as a miscarriage but Siobhan prefers the term baby loss to describe what she went through."I had a baby and my baby died," she said. Jenni Whitmore, 41, from Brynna in Rhondda Cynon Taf, has an 11-year-old daughter and has had three also feels uncomfortable about some of the terminology."When you're told that your pregnancy can't progress anymore, you're not advised 'I'm really sorry your baby's died', you're just told your pregnancy is not viable, which yes in medical terms is correct but the terminology used needs improved," she said."We never refer to our miscarriage as a foetus, it's always 'our baby', 'my daughter's sibling'."Jenni's first two miscarriages were in October 2018, at six weeks, and in March 2019, at 10 weeks, following fertility treatment. Her third miscarriage was in February 2023 after becoming pregnant was 13 weeks pregnant when she was told there was no heartbeat and chose to stay at home and let nature take its course."It is like going through labour," she said."You're just left to deal with that at home with the advice to take paracetamol which doesn't touch it, obviously, and then once it has happened, you physically have to flush that toilet and basically flush what is referred to medically as 'product' away."But of course, mentally we know that that was our baby... and I don't think that ever leaves you." Like Siobhan, she has also experienced hurtful comments from those around her."We were met with comments of 'at least it was an early loss' and 'you can try again' but we knew it was the end of the road for us, which I think was quite difficult to process," she said. How did these comments make her feel?"It's anger, just anger," she said. "I think it's just ignorance to be honest."From the minute you've seen that pregnancy test with the two lines, you've prepared your next 10, 20, 30 years. You've planned out the rest of your life."Other people in her life just stayed away."That was quite hard because you just crave that little bit of support," said. So what is the right thing to say to someone who has had a miscarriage?"We had friends that turned up and said nothing but gave us hugs, which was really appreciated," said Jenni. "Or for someone to just say 'this is totally rubbish, I can't change it for you, but I'm here and if you need anything you know where the phone is'."Siobhan said the comment that she found the hardest was: "It wasn't meant to be.""It's the baby that has made me a mother and I don't have my child, but I am a mother," she said would prefer people simply admitted that they did not know what to said seeing other women's pregnancy announcements, gender reveal parties and baby showers on social media had been hard."I'm still able to be happy for them, you can have emotions that run alongside each other so you can be happy for somebody else, but still sad for yourself," she said."It's really hard to see what could have been but it also made me realise what a miracle it is." Details of help and support with miscarriage and pregnancy-related issues are available at BBC Action Line
