Key Points

Question  How do prolonged exposure therapy, sertraline hydrochloride, and their combination compare with regard to reducing the severity of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms during 24 weeks of treatment?

Research showed that more than 30% of patients with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) do not benefit from evidence-based treatments: Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). These are patients with prolonged and multiple traumatization, with poor verbal memory, and patients with emotional over-modulation. Retelling traumatic experiences in detail is poorly tolerated by these patients and might be a reason for not starting or not completing the recommended treatments.

There are several effective treatments for PTSD. This quick guide can help you work with Veterans with PTSD to choose an effective treatment option.

THE CPG FOR PTSD RECOMMENDS:

Individual, manualized trauma-focused psychotherapy over other pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions for the primary treatment of PTSD. The best evidence is for Prolonged Exposure (PE), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).

There are several effective treatments for PTSD. This quick guide can help you work with Veterans with PTSD to choose an effective option.