Does Stress Damage the Brain?: Understanding Trauma-Related Disorders from a Mind-Body Perspective

by J. Douglas Bremner M.D.

Overview

The compelling story of how stress affects your brain.

Can what you see, hear, feel, and experience actually result in a permanent change in your brain? This provocative question arose from research discoveries by J. Douglas Bremner and others that showed that extreme stress might result in lasting damage to the brain. Anyone who has experienced even moderate stress in their life will benefit from the insights in this clearly written, accessible book.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780393704747
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	04/17/2005
Edition description:	Revised ed.
Pages:	332
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

J. Douglas Bremner, M.D., is Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Radiology and Director of the Emory Center for Positron Emission Tomography at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia, and Director of Mental Health Research at the Atlanta VAMC in Decatur, Georgia. He has authored over 150 publications, and written or edited three books, most recently Does Stress Damage the Brain? Understanding Trauma-Related Disorders from a Mind-Body Perspective.

Editorial Reviews

"[...] The benefit of [this book] (perhaps more for clinicians and educated laypersons than for neuroscientists) is in the integration of well-known biological evidence from a 'mind-body' perspective."— Thomas Elbert and Brigitte Rockstroh, Dept. of Psychology, University of Konstanz, Germany Nature

"A clearly written book on the topic of neurobiology of stress.offers creative solutions to treatment of stress-related disorders."— Jennifer J. Jasterling The Lancet Neurology

"Timely, intelligent and clinically accurate. Bremner clearly describes the hidden knowledge that stress hurts the brain and body. And more-he offers the reader important solutions."— Charles L. Whitfield, M.D., author of The Truth about Depression, and Barbara Whitfield, R.T., author of Final Passage

"Posttraumatic stress disorder is among the most common and disabling of all neuropsychiatric disorders. In recent years, research conducted by J. Douglas Bremner has identified substantial effects of psychological stress on brain structure and function. This work has led to a revolution in thinking on how to conceptualize PTSD and, most importantly, to discover new treatment approaches. This book eloquently describes these advances and the clinical implications for all people exposed to severe stress."— Dennis S. Charney, M.D., Director, NIMH Mood and Anxiety Disorders Research Program, Bethesda, MD

"Never before has the impact of stress and trauma experiences on the functioning and structure of the brain been so clearly and convincingly demonstrated as in this book by J. Douglas Bremner. This book is characterized by clear-headed thinking, careful analysis, and sound research, and also has important implications for the therapeutic management of trauma patients. It will therefore become a historical landmark in the trauma field and is a 'must read' for all clinicians, researchers, and mental health workers."— Johan Vanderlinden, Ph.D., Catholic University of Leuven and University Center St-Jozef, Belgium

"Dr. Bremner has written an exceptionally interesting and useful book. In lieu of focusing on a single avenue of stress-related psychopathology, Dr. Bremner cogently recognizes that trauma spectrum disorders (PTSD, dissociation, depression, anxiety, and borderline personality) share common brain abnormalities and overlapping psychiatric symptoms. The chapters are well written and provide significant information regarding the history, epidemiology, etiology, and treatment of stress-related disorders. This is a state-of-the-art work that will serve as an outstanding reference for practitioners and researchers."— Philip A. Saigh, Ph.D., Professor of School Psychology, City University of New York

From the Publisher