3MDR treatment in an adolescent with PTSD : a case report

Background: As Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adolescents significantly impacts their well-being, effective treatment is of great importance. Little is known, however, about the novel, multi-modal virtual reality supported, exposure-based psychotherapeutic interventions such as 3MDR in this population.

Objective: To describe the 3MDR treatment of an adolescent with PTSD who did not respond to previous exposure-based PTSD interventions.

Method: A 14-year-old girl diagnosed with PTSD received six sessions of 3MDR embedded in family therapy.

Result: The patient tolerated the 3MDR intervention very well. Personalized music and self-selected pictures appeared to be a good fit, contributing to enhanced engagement in and adherence to the therapy. She no longer met criteria for PTSD post-intervention, and at 18 months follow-up.

Conclusion: This case report suggests that 3MDR has potential as a trauma treatment for adolescents with treatment-resistant PTSD.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Trauma-focused therapy for youngsters is often complicated, with a high percentage of dropouts.
• Elements of 3MDR such as walking, self-selected pictures, and personalized music are a good fit, contributing to enhanced engagement in and adherence to 3MDR therapy.
• 3MDR has potential as a trauma treatment for adolescents with treatment-resistant PTSD.