Cohen Veterans Bioscience today announced two new collaborative partnership efforts that will provide critical research tools for understanding the underlying neurobiology and genetics of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) with the goal of accelerating the development of first generation diagnostics and treatments. For the partnership with the Stanley Center...
For those who live with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the sense of smell could one day play a prominent role in treatment, according to researchers at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Massachusetts, who co-authored a paper published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The new paper “Extinction Reverses Olfactory Fear Conditioned Increases in Neuron...
First responders are always quick to assist others, but are among the last to seek help themselves. In 2014, McLean Hospital launched a program with the goal of changing that trend. Following the 2013 bombing at the Boston Marathon and the subsequent manhunt that turned the city from a bustling metropolis to a battlefield, McLean Hospital recognized an overwhelming need for mental health...
In September 2013, McLean launched the Center of Excellence in Women’s Mental Health with Shelly F. Greenfield, MD, MPH, as its chief. We recently sat down with Dr. Greenfield to talk about the Center’s roots, goals, and projects. Horizons: What was the genesis of the Center of Excellence in Women’s Mental Health?Dr. Greenfield: The Center began through what we called the Women’s Mental Health...
McLean Hospital recently received a $2 million gift from an anonymous family that will have far-reaching impact on the field of trauma disorders and, in particular, a special influence on women’s mental health. $1.5 million of the gift has created an endowment to support an annual Trauma Studies Scholar whose work is informing our knowledge of trauma-based disorders, while $500,000 will support...
John Rodolico, PhD, treats adolescents with a variety of issues ranging from substance abuse to anxiety disorders. What some people might not know is that Rodolico is not only a psychologist at McLean but he was also a medical officer in the US Army Reserves for many years and now serves in the Massachusetts National Guard. In 2003, his reserve unit was called up to Iraq during the initial...
McLean Hospital is proud to be the home of McLean LEADER (Law Enforcement, Active Duty, Emergency Responder), a program providing specialized mental health and addictions services for police, active-duty military, and other first responders. This population endures unique on-duty and personal stresses and often faces many obstacles in seeking expert help. In the aftermath of the 2013 Boston...
My name is Julie Twohig, RN. I’m the clinical coordinator of the Dissociative Disorders and Trauma Inpatient Program (Proctor II), a women’s unit specializing in dissociative disorders and trauma. I came into work on a Wednesday morning in November 2012 and was told that a patient who had made a suicide attempt on another McLean unit over the weekend had been admitted to our unit. The patient,...
McLean Hospital researchers are reporting that xenon gas, used in humans for anesthesia and diagnostic imaging, has the potential to be a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other memory-related disorders. “In our study, we found that xenon gas has the capability of reducing memories of traumatic events,” said Edward G. Meloni, PhD, assistant psychologist at McLean Hospital...
In 2013, McLean launched the Division of Women’s Mental Health (DWMH) under the leadership of Chief Academic Officer Shelly F. Greenfield, MD, MPH, whose vision is to enhance opportunities for clinical, research and educational collaborations across McLean that will improve the understanding of women’s mental health and provide better care for the disorders that are prevalent in women. Through...
Emotional trauma has long been a part of the human experience, but it has only been in recent decades that we have begun to comprehend and study its effects. “We owe much of our current understanding about the impact of trauma to the difficulties faced by soldiers returning from the Vietnam War,” said Milissa Kaufman, MD, PhD, medical director of the trauma-focused Hill Center for Women at...
Immediately following a violent event, the number one priority is to save lives and treat the physical wounds of the victims. But in the weeks following the event, as those wounds begin to heal, we must be cognizant of the psychological wounds that, while invisible, can be equally as damaging. The days and weeks to come will bring great challenges for the many people affected by the tragic events...
Reducing fear and stress following a traumatic event could be as simple as providing a protein synthesis blocker to the brain, report a team of researchers from McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, McGill University, and Massachusetts General Hospital in a paper published in the March 4 issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “This is an important basic neuroscience finding...
Over the last decade, research has underscored how gender is often one important determinant of risk, prevalence, presentation, course, and treatment of mental illnesses. This knowledge, coupled with McLean Hospital’s continued expansion of programs exclusively for girls and women, triggered Shelly F. Greenfield, MD, MPH, chief academic officer for McLean, Scott L. Rauch, MD, president and...
McLean Hospital and Harvard Medical School are pleased to offer this comprehensive conference on post-traumatic stress and related disorders. This intensive, two-day course brings together some of the foremost authorities in the field, with expertise in not just the science of this disorder, but the art of treating suffering patients and families. Numerous aspects of treatment will be covered,...
Jennifer Fanning, PhD, University of Chicago Hosted by the Center for Depression, Anxiety and Stress Research
Ruth Lanius, MD, PhD, University of Western Ontario Presented by the Neurobiology of Fear Laboratory and the Dissociative Disorders and Trauma Research Program. McLean community members, including, staff, patients, researchers, and clinicians, are all welcome to attend this lecture. There will also be an opportunity for a small group of McLean staff members to meet more informally with the...
Visiting Scholars Series Dr. Martin Bohus, Institute for Psychiatric and Psychosomatic Psychotherapy McLean Cloud-CME text registration code: 402
Mohammed R. Milad PhD, University of Illinois at Chicago Presented by the Neurobiology of Fear Laboratory and the Dissociative Disorders and Trauma Research Program. McLean community members, including, staff, patients, researchers, and clinicians, are all welcome to attend this lecture. There will also be an opportunity for a small group of McLean staff members to meet more informally with the...
Nicole Nugent, PhD, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
