PTSD:Treatment

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Treatment

Early intervention after a traumatic incident, known as Critical incident stress Management (CISM) is often used to reduce traumatic effects of an incident, and potentially prevent a full-blown occurrence of PTSD.

Considerable research into effective treatments for PTSD has been carried out since its inclusion in DSM-III in 1980. Exposure techniques, which are based on the assumption that individuals habituate to the anxiety provoking memory with a consequent reduction in anxiety, have been frequently used. However some authors have expressed concern about the use of a technique that generates prolonged high levels of anxiety (Fairbank & Brown, 1987) and requires several sessions to achieve a therapeutic effect (Keane, Fairbank & Cadell, 1989). Further, the failure of exposure to have an effect on some patients has been inadequately explained (Wolpe, 1982; Keane et al., 1989). Further, even when exposure techniques seem to have been effective in dealing with some of the symptoms of PTSD, residual difficulties such as nightmares, social isolation and generalised anxiety often remain after treatment (Vaughan & Tarrier, 1992).

Relatively recently, a new approach to the treatment of PTSD has emerged for which dramatic claims have been made. The technique, Eye Movement Desensitisation (EMD) alternatively known as Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) . Traumatic Incident Reduction is another, more controversial targeted method of treatment.

Main article: EMDR and the treatment of PTSD

PTSD is usually treated by a combination of psychotherapy (cognitive-behavioral therapy, group therapy, and exposure therapy are popular) and psychotropic drug therapy (antidepressant or atypical antipsychotics, e.g. brand names such as Prozac (fluoxetine), Effexor (venlafaxin), Zoloft (sertraline), Remeron (mirtazapine), Zyprexa (olanzapine), or Seroquel (quetiapine)). Talk therapy may prove useful, but only insofar as the individual sufferer is enabled to come to terms with the trauma suffered and successfully integrate the experiences in a way that does not further damage the psyche. Forbes, et al, (2001) have shown that a technique of "rewriting" the content of nightmares through imagery rehearsal so that they have a resolution can not only reduce the nightmares but also other symptoms. The US Food and Drug Agency (FDA) recently approved a clinical protocol that combines the drug MDMA ("Ecstasy") with talk therapy sessions.

Basic counseling for PTSD includes education about the condition and provision of safety and support (Foa 1997). Cognitive therapy shows good results (Resick 2002), and group therapy may be helpful in reducing isolation and Stigma (Foy 2002).

Dr. Jan Bastiaans of the Netherlands has developed a form of psychedelic psychotherapy involving LSD, with which he has successfully treated concentration camp survivors who suffer from PTSD.[1]