Intranasal Oxytocin May Prevent PTSD

Administering a commonly available hormone via a nasal spray could help prevent the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and reduce symptoms in those who already have the condition, results of several clinical studies suggest.

Intranasal oxytocin significantly reduced the likelihood of the development of PTSD among patients in an emergency department (ED) who had a high degree of baseline trauma symptoms, said Miranda Olff, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

The findings were presented here at the 30th European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) Congress.