From trauma to treatment

We begin 2019 with a post-festive issue that is truly jam-packed with treats. One of the key topics that features in the research articles in this issue is that of trauma. We have a number of articles addressing this subject from different perspectives, beginning with an innovative paper that has examined the direct and indirect psychological impacts of shark bites (Taylor et al., this issue). This is clearly of great interest to not only Australian and New Zealand inhabitants but also those living in other parts of the world where sharks come into close proximity to humans. The findings of this study are intriguing and to avoid compromising your reading pleasure, all I will say is that the paper deserves your keen attention.

Juxtaposed to this is the impact of another type of trauma: earthquakes. The paper by Bell et al. (this issue) examines the neuropsychological and neurocognitive impact of earthquakes; specifically, the impairment of spatial memory linked to ensuing stress. Again, as this paper shows, our focus usually remains on the traumatic event and much less attention is given to its sequelae that can continue to have impact on brain and body for months and years. These papers highlight the importance of adopting a long-term perspective and conducting more longitudinal research.

The next few papers focus on the more common consequence of trauma within psychiatry, namely, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The first paper by Chu et al. (this issue) looks at the impact of interpersonal trauma in childhood in adults with PTSD and identifies brain changes that provide another piece linking the impact of developmental predispositions to the subsequent emergence of psychiatric disorders. The second paper by Maccallum and Bryant (this issue) uses latent class analysis to examine the symptoms of prolonged grief and post-traumatic stress following loss.

The final paper in this ‘series’ (Chen et al., this issue) employs sophisticated neuroimaging techniques to elucidate the functional connectivity of resting brain networks in patients with PTSD and identifies changes that may have implications for diagnosis and treatment.

Collectively, the five papers provide a rich appreciation of the trauma field and the type of cutting-edge research that is being conducted to advance our understanding.

With the publication of the eagerly awaited anxiety guidelines in the Christmas issue of ANZJP last year, it is no surprise that the first issue of this year contains some comments from ‘early adopters’. The first pair of such commentators, Hood and Davies (this issue) and Brakoulias (this issue), is critical yet suitably complimentary. Importantly, both pose key questions that warrant answers. It seems that the anxiety guidelines, while they will no doubt quell anxiety, are also likely to engender a degree of anxiety in practitioners.

Finally, as is usual now for ANZJP, this issue has a wide range of articles in addition to the research papers and commentaries already mentioned. It has a must-read Key Review (Gardner et al., this issue) that addresses the pressing issue of social inclusion of young people with serious mental illness; Debates on both practical and theoretical issues pertinent to psychiatry; Correspondence that questions clinical practice; and Editorials that delve into ethics and morality. In sum, the ANZJP has it all.