The purpose of this study is to get feedback on an existing augmented reality (AR) software developed by researchers at Wayne State University (phase I) and then use the refined software, along with Prolonged Exposure (PE) therapy to treat Veterans and military personnel with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
AR involves wearing goggles through which you can see the real world, however virtual objects can be added to the environment (for example, like in the popular phone game Pokemon Go).
The technology was originally designed to help first responders, specifically police and firefighters, to overcome their avoidance of normal life situations caused by their trauma experience and PTSD. This includes a crowded party, a grocery store, a police roll call room and a fire station. This technology is now being expanded to include other common scenarios that military personnel and Veterans with PTSD may avoid.
This study will occur in 2 phases. Phase 1 will focus on getting feedback on the AR program from people who have completed PE therapy before to refine the technology. In phase 2, 40 Veterans and military personnel will be randomly selected to receive PTSD therapy + the refined AR technology or PE therapy alone.
This study is open to Veterans and active duty military personnel. All study activities will take place at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care System and surrounding community-based outpatient clinics. This study is not open to civilians/non military personnel at this time.
The purpose of this study is to test the effectiveness of a treatment called Transdiagnostic Behavior Therapy (TBT) for reducing symptoms of adjustment disorder compared to the standard treatment, or treatment as usual (TAU) for adjustment disorder called Moving Forward Problem-Solving Therapy (TAU-PST).
Participants will be randomly selected to receive 10-14 weekly sessions of TBT or TAU-PST with a licensed therapist.
This study is open to Veterans and Active-Duty service personnel in the Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care System catchment area (including Savannah, Myrtle Beach, Hinesville and Beaufort community-based outpatient clinics).
VA Principal Investigators plan to gather information about veterans at the VAHCS who are interested in participating in rehabilitation research. Subject information collected will be housed in a centralized Rehabilitation Research Repository. VAHCS investigators may access this repository to quickly identify and recruit individuals who wish to be contacted for current and future VA IRB R&D approved rehabilitation research.
The purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of two psychological treatments for the reduction of suicide attempts among U.S. military personnel and veterans, and to identify the reasons why and how these treatments work.
Specifically, this study is looking at the efficacy of two interventions. The first intervention is Present Centered Therapy (PCT). This treatment has been shown to reduce depression, PTSD symptoms, and suicidal thoughts. The second intervention is Brief Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (BCBT). This treatment has also been shown to reduce depression, PTSD symptoms, and suicidal thoughts.
Both treatments involve a total of 12-16 sessions scheduled once or twice each week. Patients who have received either treatment have reported significant reductions in suicidal thoughts and psychological symptoms. These two treatments differ from each other with respect to the specific procedures and techniques used. The purpose of this study is to determine if one treatment works better than the other, or if they are equal to each other with respect to outcomes.
This study is only open to Veterans at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care System and CBOCs or active duty military personnel in the Charleston, SC and Savannah, GA areas.
By doing this study, we hope to learn if a brief screening method can predict which people are most likely to show a positive response to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) medications. This brief screening method involves using electrodes attached to your scalp via a cap, to measure electrical brain activity in response to a series of loud tones.
Your participation in this research will last about 17-21 weeks if you decide to stay for the whole study.
Researchers recently developed two new, computer-administered, brief questionnaire assessments of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The purpose of this study is to determine if these new assessments are accurate by comparing them with existing assessments for PTSD. To do this, we plan to administer the new questionnaires, existing questionnaires, and interview questions to 350 veterans with and without PTSD.
Veterans will be recruited from the Ralph H. Johnson VA Health Care System and Savannah CBOC.