On August 29th, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made its second landfall in the Gulf Coast, having picked up strength in the Gulf of Mexico. Hurricane Katrina caused a massive amount of destruction in the Gulf Coast, the effects of which are still felt today. You can read more about the long-term effects of Hurricane Katrina in these articles from About.com:

• The Effect of Hurricane Katrina on Children
• The Psychological Effects of Hurricane Katrina and Other Natural Disasters
• The Effect of Hurricane Katrina

As we near the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, it is important to remember the many people who lost their homes, communities, and lives during the storm. CNN.com provides a number of articles on the lasting impact of the hurricane both in Mississippi (which suffered a direct hit from the hurricane) and Louisiana. You can also read more about how to cope with natural disasters in this article from About.com.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been receiving more attention in the news over the past few years, and as a result, more and more people are becoming aware of and learning about the diagnosis. However, there is still a good amount of bad or inaccurate information out there on PTSD. This article attempts to debunk some of the most common myths about PTSD. Of course, this article doesn't cover all of the myths out there on PTSD. Therefore, if you have any questions about PTSD, you can share them at the About.com PTSD forum.

A recent study has come out in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology that examined the effect of PTSD on children's brains. The study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to look at the functioning of the hippocampus in children showing symptoms of PTSD. They found that children with PTSD symptoms had poor functioning of the hippocampus.

The hippocampus is a part of the limbic system of the brain. The limbic system describes a group of brain structures that surround the brain stem. The brain structures that make up the limbic system play a major role in the experience of certain emotions (fear and anger), motivations and memory. The hippocampus is responsible for the ability to store and retrieve memories. People who have experienced some kind of damage to their hippocampus experience difficulties in or the complete inability to store and recall information. Along with other limbic structures, the hippocampus also plays a role in a person's ability to overcome fear responses.

This finding is similar to other studies which have found that people with PTSD may have smaller hippocampi. Of course, as with most studies, it is not clear if the researchers' findings mean that PTSD leads to poor functioning of the hippocampus or if poor functioning of the hippocampus puts people at risk for PTSD. It is also not clear how treatments for PTSD may affect the hippocampus. More research is definitely needed. However, this study highlights a particular area of the brain that may be relevant to look at in understanding the symptoms of PTSD. You can read more about this study at CNN.com. You can also read more about PTSD in children here.

A recent study published in the scientific journal Child Abuse and Neglect found that the experience of physical abuse in childhood is associated with heart disease later in life. This was no small finding, as it was found that adults who had been abused as children had a 45 percent higher chance of experiencing heart problems later in life compared to those who had not experienced abuse as a child. It is not clear why this may occur; however, it is possible that early abuse causes children to become hyper-responsive to any stress, greatly taxing their body and physical health. This finding is quite similar to other research showing that PTSD is associated with heart disease.

Of course, it is important to note that this study asked adults about their experiences in childhood, and therefore, the researchers cannot say that childhood abuse caused later heart problems. However, this study is an important first step and suggests the need to identify children at risk and make sure those children get help, such as teaching them healthy emotion regulation skills. You can read more about this study at CNN.com.