In the case of post-traumatic stress disorder, not all symptoms are created equal.

In an effort to better treat PTSD, a study published March 1 in the journal Psychiatric Services is the first to examine which problems associated with PTSD actually correspond to lower quality of life, as indicated by the patient’s willingness to die sooner or to risk life-threatening treatment to relieve their symptoms.

PTSD is more costly than any other anxiety disorder. as many as 300,000 veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan currently have PTSD, with costs for their care estimated at $4 to $6.2 billion over the next two years.

“To our knowledge, this is the first study to ask actual patients with PTSD about their health preferences,” said lead author Jason Doctor, associate professor of Pharmaceutical Economics and Policy at the USC School of Pharmacy. “These findings identify targets for treatment that may improve quality of life among people with PTSD.”

The researchers found that, of four major symptoms associated with PTSD, not all were associated with a patient’s immediate quality of life, even though those who sought treatment for PTSD expressed significant overall declines in mental health.

Distressing recollections of a traumatic event and avoidance of certain activities and thoughts – both commonly conceived of as dysfunctional behaviors – had little correlation to a patient’s reported sense of well-being, according to the study.

However, symptoms tied to heightened arousal – such as trouble sleeping, irritability and vigilance – were associated with lower quality of life among PTSD patients. Anxiety and depression were also associated with lower quality of life.

“We conjecture that although avoidance is an important aspect of PTSD, its effect on quality of life may be limited because it is a coping strategy. Avoidance may be a dysfunction that improves, in the short term, subjective well-being,” explained Doctor, who is on the research faculty of the Schaeffer Center for Health Policy and Economics at USC.

The researchers found that, on average, a patient with PTSD was willing to give up 13.6 years of his or her life to live unburdened by the symptoms of the disorder.

On average, those with PTSD were willing to accept a treatment with up to a 13 percent chance of immediate death in order to achieve total relief of PTSD symptoms.

Lori Zoellner of the University of Washington, Seattle, and Norah Feeny of Case Western Reserve University were co-authors of the study.

The researchers interviewed 184 persons seeking treatment for PTSD at two treatment sites in different regions of the United States. the research was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health.

more information: Doctor et. al, “Predictors of Health-Related Quality-of-Life Utilities Among Persons With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.” Psychiatric Services: March 2011.

Provided by University of Southern California (news : web)

This time of the year, it seems like everywhere you go you will see someone coughing. Do they have common cold, pneumonia, or some respiratory infection? according to a comprehensive study plan, it has been proved that pneumonia mostly hits kids and WHO has predicted that there will be nearly 5.3 million deaths till 2015 due to pneumonia.

Pneumonia is one of the biggest causes of deaths in the world, and it kills nearly 1.8 million kids every year. this is more that 98 percent of kids dying in 68 developing countries. In spite of this huge toll, there are only a few sources, which are dedicated for tackling this killer problem.

WHO has launched a new Global action plan for the prevention and control of pneumonia (GAPP) which will have a list of recommendations on what has to be done, targets and goals. the main aim of this program is to increase awareness about what needs to be done to save someone’s life. this plan will be circulated amongst the national and global policy makers, civil society and donor agencies for taking immediate action and recognizing the pneumonia symptoms.

The director of WHO said, “This action plan will give the strategy for preventing and recognizing the symptoms of pneumonia, which kills most of the children today than any other illness. we know that this strategy will work, and if applied in any high burden countries, we can easily prevent many deaths. Pneumonia has the highest mortality rate among children under the age of five, killing more than 4000 children every day. if effective interventions are taken to reduce the deaths caused by pneumonia then this number can go down.”

Once the pneumonia symptoms have been recognized the person affected must be treated immediately. GAPP has introduced safe and effective vaccines for treating pneumonia. the director continued saying, “Many of the affected countries have planned to introduce new pneumonia vaccines. they are also expanding their community-based case management for strengthening the healthy system. Our children deserve nothing less.”

The most common symptom of pneumonia is cold followed with high fever. Someone suffering some pneumonia will experience terrible chills and cough with sputum production. they will also experience shortness of breath. Once you notice any of these symptoms, get the patient checked and vaccinated at the right time. You will not want to lose your loved ones to pneumonia.

This disease is curable if identified at the right time, so make sure that you take preventive measures at the right time.

For more information visit on : pneumoniasymptoms.org

If you have questions regarding information in this press release contact the company listed above. Freepressreleasesubmit is a free press release distribution service and this is not the author of this press release so all the information’s in this press release belongs to the author or the website. we do not guarantee for this information’s and we are not responsible for inaccuracies or omissions in that information or for actions taken in reliance on that information.