Post-Traumatic Stress
&
Hyperbarics
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) may occur following exposure to any traumatic event. PTSD can develop in response to natural disasters, accidents, or violent experiences. About 20% of people who experience a traumatic event will develop PTSD with 1 in 13 people developing PTSD at some point in their life.
Many mental health disorders can co-occur with PTSD, possibly due, in part, to the significant changes in brain functioning following a traumatic event that leads to PTSD. Someone with PTSD may experience depression, suicidal thoughts, anxiety, or substance use disorders. About 37% of those diagnosed with PTSD are classified as having severe symptoms.
Traditionally, treatments include psychotherapy, such as cognitive processing therapy or group therapy; medications; self-management strategies, such as self-soothing and mindfulness.
However, evidence is now demonstrating that hyperbaric therapy can have positive effects on clinical outcomes, brain functionality and brain microstructural integrity in people suffering from PTSD.
Quality of Life Improvement
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Memory Enhancement
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Better Overall Cognitive Functioning
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Less Anxiety
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Reduction in Depression Symptoms
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Sleep Quality Improvement
Brain Activity on Functional Imaging
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Improvements in Brain Area Microstructure on fMRI (functional MRI)
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Left Dorsolateral Prefrontal
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Middle Temporal Gyri
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Both Thalami
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Left Hippocampus
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Left Insula
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Diffusion Tensor Imaging Showed Significant Increases in Fractional Anisotropy in These Brain Areas
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Fronto-Limbic White-Matter (Correlated with Behavior & and Mood Regulation)
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Genu of the Corpus Callosum (Area that Connects the Medial and Lateral Surfaces of the Frontal Lobe)
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Fornix (Essential for Memory Systems & Functions with Hippocampus)
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Improvements in Assessments
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Beck Depression Inventory
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Brief Symptom Inventory
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Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory
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Memory Index
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Hamilton Depression Index
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Hamilton Anxiety Scale
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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist
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Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index
Source: International Hyperbarics Association.www.ihausa.org. Accessed 6 May 2025.