2017

It is widely known that our sleep affects our mood. This is particularly relevant as we grow older because the prevalence of insomnia increases substantially with older age. Exciting research indicates that treating insomnia with cognitive behaviour therapy can reduce depression. This raises an interesting therapeutic design question: Could a …

How can we help translate research findings into clinical practice? There is now a very large body of research available on the outcome of various treatment strategies. But to be readily useful for clinical application, the relative strengths and burdens of different clinical approaches need to be made readily apparent. …

Experiencing trauma is quite common in the general population; in fact, about 50% of the population will experience a traumatic event in their lifetime. Experiencing symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following a trauma is likewise very common; however, the persistence of these symptoms is less common, and only about …

Many people know that the intense and traumatic experiences soldiers face can result in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)—as can civilian traumas, such as assaults or car crashes.  However, many people may not realize that caring for traumatically injured patients can have the same psychological effects as the trauma itself.  This …

Anxiety disorders are common conditions that can be treated effectively with exposure techniques, a key component of cognitive behavior therapy. Dissemination of this treatment is however limited by both patient and therapist factors. Among individuals with specific phobia, for example, only half will ever seek treatment and for those who …

It is estimated that nearly one in four women will experience sexual trauma during their military service. This experience can have profound and lasting consequences, with one of the most commonly reported being posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). To help these women veterans, researchers have identified and studied effective treatments, with …

In North America, one in five individuals will suffer from depression at one point in their lives, and of those who do, less than 40% will seek treatment. In an effort to increase access to services, low-intensity interventions for depression, involving minimal cost and time-investment, have emerged. Two such interventions, …

Symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) can manifest in various ways. One fascinating but understudied form of OCD is sexual orientation-OCD (SO-OCD). Individuals with SO-OCD experience obsessions and fears about their sexual orientation changing against their will. In response to their obsessions, individuals with SO-OCD may perform compulsive rituals that include …

Social anxiety refers to fears of social interaction and/or performance situations. When social anxiety is accompanied by significant distress or impairment in one’s social life, work, or education, an individual is said to “have” Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD). Although social anxiety is a ubiquitous phenomenon, the current psychiatric diagnostic system …

Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) for anxiety disorders typically involves clients confronting the anxiety-inducing objects and situations they would typically wish to avoid. Through repeated exposure to anxiety, clients increasingly learn to question, review and correct their anxious appraisals and beliefs and gradually experience less anxiety over time. However, certain individual characteristics …