The purpose of this study is to explore the use of a new treatment program to improve medication adherence for people with HIV and PTSD for patients at MUSC Ryan White clinic. Participants will be assigned to one of two groups. Participants in Group A will be asked to attend 12 clinic sessions (twice a week for 6 weeks, 90-minute sessions) via telehealth or in person at the MUSC Ryan White clinic. Participants in Group B will receive a one session adherence intervention (60 minutes) and get the same standard treatment that someone with a trauma history and co-occurring HIV and PTSD symptoms would receive at a local Ryan White clinic. The study is provided at no-cost, and participants may learn useful information and coping skills while being in the study. It is hoped the information that we get from this study will help researchers and clinicians better design treatment programs for people living with HIV and PTSD. Participants will receive study compensation for their time.
In this study, patients will complete questionnaires to help us determine clinically relevant scores for a new patient-reported measure of body image distress following HNC treatment. A select group of patients will also undergo in-depth discussions to help us determine scores on the patient report measure that correlate with mild, moderate, and severe levels of image distress.
The purpose of the research is to test out a new form of treatment where we stimulate a nerve in your ear. This is called transcutaneous (through the skin) auricular (ear) vagus nerve stimulation (taVNS) which means that you will receive stimulation through the ear. The taVNS device looks like an ear bud you would use with your smart phone or computer. We are investigating whether or not taVNS can treat neurologic symptoms of COVID-19 which are termed NEUROCOVID. Some symptoms you may experience are new onset anxiety, depression, vertigo, loss of smell, headaches, fatigue, irritability, etc. This study is entirely online and all assessments will be completed virtually.
The current study aims to adapt and test a brief computer-assisted intervention for pregnant women with elevated posttraumatic stress symptoms. Twenty pregnant women in their first trimester will be invited to participate in the study if they endorse elevated posttraumatic stress symptoms. Along with self-report measures, hormones will be measured at baseline, one month post-intervention, three months post-intervention, and post-delivery. In addition, women will receive a psychoeducation + skills intervention during their first trimester and women will be offered a "booster session" intervention following delivery to enhance utilization of skills during a critical period for maternal mental and physical health outcomes.
The purpose of this research study is to reduce psychological distress and improve communication and family centeredness of care for families of Ventilator Dependent Respiratory Failure (VDRF) patients that have undergone inter-ICU transfer by providing them with timely and adequate information about their transfer of care. This will be accomplished by the development and refinement of our Stressors of Inter-ICU Transfer Telehealth Tool (SITT). The study aims to assess reactions to mocked up SITT domains and support resources of 15-20 family members that have undergone inter-ICU transfer as well as 10 clinicians involved in transfer. The data will drive the refinement of the tool to best meet the needs of the families and clinicians.
This study will examine the neural circuitry associated with craving, behavioral disinhibition, and threat-reactivity. The study will involve 2 visits. During the first visit, participants will complete questionnaires and interviews in a private room and do some tests to measure alcohol use. During the second visit, participants will complete a neuroimaging scan of their brain.
PTSD is a prevalent condition for which veterans frequently seek treatment in the VA healthcare system. There are a number of first-line PTSD treatment approaches available, such as Prolonged Exposure and Cognitive Processing Therapy. However, the efficacy rates of these treatments is not as high as what has been observed with civilian populations and approximately 36% of individuals drop out of these treatments prematurely. A proposed alternative to these treatments is Written Exposure Therapy (WET), a brief, 5 session intervention that has been shown to reduce symptoms of PTSD and contribute to lower dropout rates. The goal of this study is to investigate whether WET is as effective compared to Prolonged Exposure (PE) in the treatment of PTSD in a sample of veterans diagnosed with PTSD. It will involve approximately 150 Veterans. This research is funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The goal of this work is to identify the most efficacious range of doses and targeting location for a short-term (i.e., 1 week) course of high-dose brain stimulation for major depression.
The goal of this work is to identify the most efficacious dose for a high-dose, short-term brain stimulation intervention for anxiety and depression in veterans.