MSNBC.com reports that a new study indicates that an injection of the steroid hormone cortisol within 6 hours of a traumatic event may reduce the possibility of PTSD. The sample was rather small (17 persons), but has the promise of leading to a way to prevent post-traumatic stress disorder.
"The findings suggest there may be a 'window of opportunity' immediately following a trauma during which action can be taken to prevent PTSD, said the researchers, who are now conducting a wider study.
"'One can think about it as the morning-after pill for PTSD,' said study researcher Joseph Zohar of Tel Aviv University in Israel. Doctors call such precautions that are taken after the fact, such as the contraceptive pill ingested after sex, 'secondary prevention.'"
"If the findings are confirmed, 'this will be the first time that there is secondary prevention in psychiatry,' Zohar said.
"The study will be published in the October issue of the journal European Neuropsychopharmacology."
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