A recent study from Case Western Reserve University suggest effective and lasting approaches for symptoms of PTSD, a debilitating and typically chronic disorder that rarely diminishes spontaneously and is associated with significant distress, impairment and considerable economic costs. For U.S.-based military veterans alone, loss of productivity, health-care and other costs due to PTSD are estimated to be in the billions of dollars.
Research was based on a meta-analysis of 32 PTSD-related studies-involving 72 treatment conditions-that followed up with patients at least six months, and up to nearly two years, after treatment ended. Patients displayed less-intense symptoms up to two years after treatment ended, compared to six months post-therapy, according to the study. It is hence possible that the longer time between post-treatment and follow-up assessments may provide a better opportunity for new skills to be practiced and reinforced.
PTSD treatments effective in both the short- and long-term include trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy and exposure therapy. Both are relatively common in veterans' facilities but are inconsistently available elsewhere, which is a major barrier as people may not be able to get access to effective treatments.
According to Alex Kline, co-author of the study and a PhD student in adult clinical psychology in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Case Western Reserve, it is important to get a better understanding of who responds to what and why, and showing that PTSD treatment gains are being maintained is meaningful for health-care providers when choosing how to improve patient outcomes and drive down costs of ineffectual care.
Category(s):Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) / Trauma / Complex PTSD
Source material from Science Daily
