From losing loved ones or recovering from serious illness to the everyday stresses of a changed life, everyone’s COVID-19 experience is different, and some may be more traumatic than others. Healthcare professionals and other essential workers, in this unprecedented time, are risking their own health to provide essential care and services while experiencing the trauma of death almost daily.

This pandemic may also have a profound effect on people with pre-existing mental health conditions, including many of our nation’s Veterans, as heightened stress and isolation may disrupt their normal support channels and routines.

In fact, the mental health effects of the coronavirus may take as significant a toll on our society as the physical effects.

This is concerning for all of us including those who are coping with the life-changing effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In the case of PTSD, there is a pressing need for more effective solutions and more research.

There have been no new FDA-approved therapeutics for PTSD in 18 years.

We’re working to fix this problem through robust and rigorous research that will help us better understand the biological underpinnings of PTSD and, in doing this, help us discover more effective solutions for the condition.

On Giving Tuesday Now, together, we have the potential to help improve research and lives.

Here’s How You Can Help Our Research That is Already Making a Difference:

• Help advance diagnostics and treatments for PTSD: A landmark study with the Broad Institute has so far discovered six genetic markers for PTSD risk. Donate to help advance genetic tests based on these results, so we can tailor care to those most at risk for developing PTSD.
• Help advance personalized medicine for PTSD: The Biomarker Establishment for Superior Treatment (BEST) PTSD study used electroencephalography (EEG) to identify clinical biomarkers and brain activity patterns, or neural signatures, in PTSD, which provided objective evidence for predicting a patient’s response to treatment. Donate to help us match patients to the most effective available treatment.
• Help improve sleep disruptions for those living with PTSD: Sleep disruptions such as nightmares, insomnia, and apnea can be the most burdensome aspects of living with PTSD. To improve sleep, researchers must measure it. Our SleepWell program is advancing a precision medicine approach to improving sleep after brain trauma. Donate to help validate wearable devices to record sleep at home accurately.

Please donate to support our scientific research – 100% of your donation funds will go towards our research programs and every dollar counts.