Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an intense physical and emotional response to thoughts and reminders of the event that last for many weeks or months after the traumatic event.
The symptoms of PTSD fall into three broad types: re-living, avoidance and increased arousal.
In a study from UCL, scientists found the tablet form of the stress hormone cortisol could accelerate the process of forgetting intrusive memories when given immediately after a traumatic event.
The research found that hydrocortisone (30mg)—an anti-inflammatory drug used to treat conditions such as arthritis—acts to weaken the emotions that underly painful memories, such as those experienced in PTSD.
In the study, the team tested the medication on 120 healthy participants. 60 were given hydrocortisone and 60 were given a placebo drug.
They found that the group who were given hydrocortisone a few minutes after being shown several very upsetting videos seemed to “forget” the event more quickly compared to those who had been given a placebo drug.
The researchers also found that men and women responded differently to the drug, depending on the levels of sex hormones in their system.
For example, men who had high levels of estrogen seemed to have the fewest upsetting memories for a week after watching the video.
However, women showed the opposite effect and high levels of estrogen seemed to make them more susceptible to involuntary bad memories if they were treated with hydrocortisone.
The team says persistent distressing, involuntary or ‘intrusive’ memories are a core feature of PTSD.
Unlike other psychological disorders, the onset of PTSD caused by a single trauma can reliably be traced back to the occurrence of a specific, often life-threatening event that generates long-lasting intrusive memories.
The findings reported here build on previous studies that target the emotions that underlie involuntary memory, with the aim of reducing how often they happen and how vivid they are—whilst still leaving the ability to recall the memory voluntarily.
The work shows how important it is to do careful experiments with healthy people to work out whether and how a drug like hydrocortisone could work.
After all, the results seem to show that there might be conditions that make the drug harmful to some people.
The researchers hope that their findings can be used by clinical researchers to design more targeted treatments for men and women with PTSD, by using preventative measures based on individual hormone profiles and that target intrusive memories.
If you care about mental health, please read studies about 9 big signs you may have severe depression, and Vitamin D could help reduce depression symptoms.
For more information about mental health, please see recent studies about daily habit that is powerful medicine for depression, and results showing sitting during COVID-19 pandemic linked to depression.
The study was conducted by Vanessa Hennessy et al and published in Translational Psychiatry.
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