People differ in the ability to control what they pay attention to, especially when they experience emotional distress. Drs. Bardeen and Fergus previously identified this difference in executive attention as a potentially important variable for understanding how posttraumatic stress develops and is maintained. This research study further supports those prior …

Researchers consistently find a relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and physical health problems, including (but not limited to) chronic pain, obesity, diabetes, and heart attacks. One possible explanation for this relationship is that people with PTSD take part in more unhealthy behaviours (e.g., illicit drug use, excessive drinking) and …

The best way to overcome one’s fears and concerns is to confront them. This is as straightforward as it is true. Many studies show that exposure with response prevention (ERP) is the most efficacious treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), a mental illness characterized by intrusive thoughts (e.g., fears about getting …