Intrusive Recollections And The Amygdala

[clare]

Sorry if I missed it somewhere above, are there any treatments for increased cortisol levels? I've been trying for years to get therapists to work on exposure therapy with my son but most shy away from it. He's on antipsychoticss and anticonvulsants but still always a step away from going back to the psych hospital. I've found recent research from Harvard med that says there is a direct link with elevated cortisol and PTSD in children. Is this part of the chemical imbalance that is permanent?

Thanks for any imput,

clare

 

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becvan,

I think it is great your son was allowed to play games to help relieve some of his trauma. From what you said it seems to have helped reduce the symptoms a little at least.

helena,

I think denial is counterproductive for the most part. I do think that some parts of the brain can be retrained though. I notice that playing games can help me with other tasks and become more functional on a regular basis in my adult life. I also played a lot of games when I was a child and that probably helped reduce some of my symptoms. Again in this I am counting symptom management as "success" since that's about as far as science has gotten.

anthony,

Thank you for your input. I believe you are correct that exposure therapy is best overall. I also think it is good that we keep looking for ways to improve treatment. Reading books, listening to classical music, playing challenging games, art, exercise... all these things are good for even healthy people... and extra good for us while we are trying to get well.

clare,

Not sure about treatments for cortisol levels. I heard something about elevated cortisol levels being a bad thing in general but I do not know enough to even start to give you a response. You mentioned a Harvard med study about PTSD... I would love to read it... or anything else you have to say on the matter. I am glad you are doing research and wish you and your son the best. BTW: how is he doing on antipsychotics? One of my doctors tried zyprexa on me and it backfired horribly... but I have read that it has worked wonders for some people.

Best Wishes,

Liz H.

 

[clare]

Thanks Liz,

The antipsychotics-seraquel and risperdal have pretty much quieted the flashbacks so that he is able to go to school (his sexual assault happened at school) but the high cortisol levels peak between 3 and 10 pm making his paranoia and hyper-manic episodes difficult to control. The study by Dr. Sugria (sp?) was done recently at Harvard Medical School. Like many studies it gives the bad news but not the good. There are many products that claim to reduce cortisol levels but most seem like snake oil. I will contact his pediatrician but both his psychiatrist and pediatrician are very cool to me lately because we have an attorney who is well known here in MA for winning a major lawsuit against the the state's dept of health on behalf of children with psych disabilities. I just hate sedating him the minute he comes in the door and wish there was a natural solution.

Thanks for your concern,
clare

 

[NarcSis]

What is your opinion of "play" in terms of video games?

My husband (non ptsd) zones to somewhere else when he's playing his games, he says its a way to deal with stress for him. If he's feeling particularly stressed because of work pressures or other things going on, he can disappear for hours at a time playing his video games. Sometimes when I withdraw from him, he brings his system into the livingroom and plays his games not too far from me - we're both there but not 'with' each other. Prior to my trauma this 'thing' of his used to annoy the absolute crap out of me, now I really don't mind it so much when he does it.

Is this type of play a good outlet for coping with stress in general?

 

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Clare: Have you and your son tried bio-feedback? Its this thing they did with my mom one of the times she was hospitalized. They put little electrical pads to monitor her heart rate, blood pressure, etc on her and a video screen showed how high each was going. Then they led her through various relaxation techniques to get those levels down a bit. They even made a game out of it in the office where the blips showed up as little bats and there was a box to note what was considered a "normal" range. The point of the game was to keep the bats in the box.

There are also great breathing exercises I learned in yoga class. If you have the funds and an available facility then you might consider signing him up for yoga. Just look for a gym that only does yoga or a good ashram since they focus on all the aspects not just the exercise. Basically there are breathing and meditation techniques to lessen the anxiety and ground negative emotions.

I can understand your doctors being a little nervous if you have an attorney that has a great track record of suing for malpractice. I would keep that attorney on hand though if I was you. It is amazing how far off base some therapists and doctors can be.

I will be looking up that study. Thanks for posting the info so I can google it.

Medic: Its just my opinion but I think video games can be a great way to de-stress. I have known for a long time not to bother the guys when Princess Zelda needs someone to find her missing TriForce. :-)

I think part of the key is finding the "right" game for you. That might be something that changes depending on your mood. Sometimes I need something difficult like "Magic the Gathering" (a very good card game) and sometimes I need something very simple like "Farm Town" (digital gardening can be quite soothing). Do you have any games that help you when you get stressed out?

Liz H.

 

[clare]

Thanks again!

Bio-feedback is an intresting idea and one which I'm considering since his epilepsy is under control he's no longer getting annoyong tests (MRIs, EEgs). He may actually enjoy this. There is a game called Mind Flex I was thinking of purchasing and reviews state that its theraputic for children with ADHD and autism. Basicially, they say, it works like a bio-feedback machine!

Thanks again,
clare