Fireworks in the sky, chaos in the mind
As the Moreton Bay region expanded rapidly in the 1960s, 凯特·史密斯的祖父很幸运，以低廉的价格在山上买到了一所房子.
这所房子有一个可以看到风景的里屋，非常适合聚集在一起看烟花——无论是在Ekka的烟花，还是从北布里斯班的各种运动场和郊区的节日上发射的烟花.
Kate Smith
Kate Smith
From childhood, some of Kate’s fondest memories stemmed from that particular room, extended family huddled together as the sky exploded in a spectacular array of colours.
“爷爷去世前几年才承认他无法忍受烟花, and the same fond memories for us had been moments which triggered fear inside of him,” Lawnton resident Kate says.
“He revealed he would often retreat to the lounge room with the dog to watch TV instead, so we wouldn’t notice he was rattled.
“It’s so sad to think this incredibly stoic, 这位硬汉大半生都带着这个秘密度过，他觉得他不能和深爱他的人分享这个秘密.
“He put everybody else’s happiness ahead of his own, when I’m sure all of us would have gladly traded those times for knowing he was okay.”
爆炸的烟花生动地让凯特的祖父想起了在英国城市伦敦和赫尔的生活，当时周围的社区在第二次世界大战中被炸毁.
当他十几岁时在皇家海军服役，航行于北冰洋和北海时，它们提醒了他周围鱼雷的威胁.
烟火让他的家人欣喜若狂，这让他回忆起他的军舰在北欧登陆时提供的掩护，在那里成千上万的人丧生.
每年澳新军团纪念日，这个人都会穿着西装，戴着贝雷帽，胸前挂满了勋章，自豪地站在那里, but inside he still suffered from incidents that were 70 years in the past.
“But you know, 创伤后应激障碍(PTSD)并不局限于老年人或退伍军人,” Mrs Smith says.
“Over time I have come to know there are other, much younger family members and friends who have been diagnosed with PTSD, whether that’s a result of an accident, their childhood or other traumatic experiences.
“The lesson I learnt from Grandad is to be mindful what others might be enduring, address it early, and seek the correct treatment – otherwise it might be decades of joy sacrificed.”
Kate as a child with her grandfather, Percy.
Kate as a child with her grandfather, Percy.
Anzac Day holds great importance for the family.
Anzac Day holds great importance for the family.
Percy wore his naval uniform on his wedding day.
Percy wore his naval uniform on his wedding day.
Percy, pictured here in uniform with wife Mary, sailed the Arctic Ocean and North Sea as a teenager serving in the Royal Navy.
Percy, pictured here in uniform with wife Mary, sailed the Arctic Ocean and North Sea as a teenager serving in the Royal Navy.
HMAS Obedient, aboard which Percy served.
HMAS Obedient, aboard which Percy served.
Percy's with his medals.
Percy's with his medals.
一个耗资数百万美元的国家创伤后应激障碍中心将在美博白菜中心论坛成立 Thompson Institute, following an allocation of $8.3 million in the most recent federal budget, and $6 million from local philanthropists Roy and Nola Thompson.
The Thompson Institute integrates world-class research, clinical services, and education under one roof, allowing rapid translation of the latest mental health findings.
Institute Director Professor Jim Lagopoulos says PTSD is not always immediately apparent and can creep up on some people over time.
“Symptoms can start mild and people don’t think much of it,” Professor Lagopoulos says.
“它可能开始于几个不眠之夜，情绪失调，感觉比平时更悲伤.
“如果这些症状持续超过三个月，这是慢性的，当患者寻求帮助时，治疗难度会大得多.”
Lagopoulos教授说，目前澳大利亚社会创伤后应激障碍的患病率约占总人口的8%.
在急救人员等一线救援人员中，这一数字翻了一番, paramedics, firefighters and military personnel. Indeed, 在特别困难的情况下，特定职业的PTSD发病率可达20%.
“While a lot of things are still unknown about PTSD, one thing we do know is that trauma has a cumulative effect,” Professor Lagopoulos says.
“如果你经常看到或经历创伤性事件，比如作为一名救护车官员，一轮班要经历五到六次创伤性事件，这对大脑功能会产生负面影响. That’s why we see this concentration in certain occupations.
“What is also true, however, is that PTSD can be incredibly individualistic. Sometimes a person involved in a car accident might not suffer significant trauma, 但在远处走在路另一边的人可能会目睹事故并患上创伤后应激障碍.
“人们并不普遍了解的是，创伤性事件实际上会导致大脑特定区域的脑细胞损失.
“2022免费白菜网在研究中关注的关键问题之一，也是2022免费白菜网有信心找到答案的地方，是促进大脑受影响区域细胞再生的方法.”
Low-dose ketamine has been a particularly promising avenue of investigation.
HHistorically used as an anaesthetic, 氯胺酮作用于一种特定的大脑受体，对细胞再生和最终的大脑加工产生积极影响.
Participants have reported life-changing responses and negligible side effects.
汤普森研究所的博士生Cyrana Gallay是研究低剂量氯胺酮的研究人员之一, somebody with lived experience of the impacts of PTSD.
加莱表示:“我在西非加纳的一个难民营与难民和寻求庇护者一起工作。.
“People were treated for malaria, but not for mental health conditions.
“Many had fled war torn situations in Liberia and the Ivory Coast. All around me were neighbours and colleagues experiencing PTSD, but I didn’t fully recognise how the condition presented itself at that time.
Cyrana Gallay and Gracy Forsyth
Cyrana Gallay and Gracy Forsyth
“It’s a very meaningful passion of mine now to find low-cost, non-invasive treatments for PTSD, which offer low-side effect profiles and are highly effective.
“We will have a more peaceful society if people can get access to the help they need.”
阳光海岸和莫尔顿湾地区似乎与难民营的情况完全不同, but the issue of PTSD has particular relevance.
加莱说:“这是一个如此美丽、阳光明媚的海滨地方，对许多人来说就像天堂一样。.
“Sometimes, 人们在处理创伤性事件时，可能会认为逃到某个平静的地方会让他们摆脱烦恼. But that’s not necessarily the case.”
汤普森研究所的同事、博士候选人格蕾丝·福赛斯认为，在评估创伤后应激障碍的公共影响时，有两个重要方面需要考虑.
Cyrana Gallay and Gracy Forsyth
Cyrana Gallay and Gracy Forsyth
Firstly, 重要的是要考虑PTSD可能影响一个人日常生活的无数种方式——无论是无法保持稳定的工作, extreme avoidance of public places, problems regulating emotions, or difficulty forming close relationships.
Secondly, loved ones in immediate proximity to someone suffering from PTSD, 经常受到严重影响，但没有得到足够的信息或资源支持.
“在经历创伤后，人们可能会觉得自己的部分性格发生了变化, but not realize they have developed PTSD. If undiagnosed, 他们周围的人可能会开始质疑为什么他们变得更具攻击性或抑郁, for instance,” Grace says.
“这种影响可能包括这个人不再参与家庭或参与社区活动, 劳动力减少和医疗系统超负荷带来的经济后果.”
“PTSD is very individualistic and there are consequences for us all.”
Aside from those involved in combat exposure and emergency situations, 另一个经常被忽视的PTSD患病率特别高的群体是性侵犯的幸存者.
治疗创伤后应激障碍的困难在于各种刺激都可能引发消极想法, whether a response to any of the human senses, or recollection of incidents.
“Some people can have a reaction to crowded spaces or specific sounds, and I know of a firefighter whose PTSD was set off by the smell of smoke,” Ms Forsyth says.
Brain scans are an important tool for scientists researching PTSD.
Brain scans are an important tool for scientists researching PTSD.
“那些经历过战争冲突的人可能会被汽车回火或其他人认为无害的类似噪音触发.
“For that reason, 2022免费白菜网必须探索创伤后应激障碍的神经生物学，并研究在广泛情况下具有全面应用的新侵入, rather than specific cases.”
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Operational since 2018, USC's Thompson Institute is a world-class hub for research, teaching and clinical services for Australia's most pressing mental health issues.
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