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Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) develops in some people who have experienced a shocking, scary, or life-threatening event. Fear triggers many split-second changes in the body to help defend against danger or to avoid it. This \u201cfight-or-flight\u201d response is a typical reaction meant to protect a person from harm. Most people recover from these initial symptoms naturally, but those who continue to experience persistent symptoms may be diagnosed with PTSD. For more information please visit:\u00a0NIMH: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder<\/a><\/p>\n The Carolina Stress Initiative is a collaborative effort between clinical and basic scientists to improve our understanding of trauma and stress-related disorders.<\/strong><\/p>\n Stress-related psychiatric disorders, including major depression, post-traumatic stress, and anxiety disorders, are the most common mental illnesses in the United States. With the recent\u00a0Covid19\u00a0pandemic, both the Center for Disease Control and the National Institute of Health predict that the number of people suffering from trauma and stress-related disorders will rise dramatically and to potentially catastrophic proportions. To address this call to action, the UNC Department of Psychiatry is launching the\u00a0Carolina Stress Initiative (CSI), with the primary mission to conduct key translational research to improve understanding and treatment of trauma and stress-related disorders. This mission is pursued by bringing together basic and clinical researchers with complementary expertise on neuropsychiatric epigenetics and the use of animal models in neuroscience. The ultimate goal is to develop novel therapeutic strategies for stress-related disorders.<\/p>\n <\/p>\nCarolina Stress Initiative<\/a><\/h3>\n
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