Introduction
Using psychological interventions as treatment is a productive tool that is used everywhere. Trauma-focused therapy is one such tool that has significantly reduced PTSD symptoms (Coventry et al., 2020). Symptom reduction is seen among such traumas as childhood sexual abuse and participation in military events. In addition, high efficacy was demonstrated in survivors of domestic violence, with a p-criterion level of 0.970 (Coventry et al., 2020). TF-CBT effectively improves self-esteem, reducing depression and behavioral patterns.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy is one of the most common ways to deal with PTSD. It is often combined with other therapies and demonstrates similar effectiveness as PE or ET (Huang et al., 2022). For example, Leiva-Bianchi et al.’s study (2018) determined the effectiveness of post-disaster cognitive-behavioral therapy for individuals with PTSD symptoms. It was found to reduce overall symptomatology to below-average levels reliably. As part of therapy, participants received group counseling to address avoidance, hyperactivity, and re-experiencing. Results were assessed using the SPRINT-E, which showed that the group with PTSD achieved a score close to 1 (Leiva-Bianchi et al., 2018). Cognitive behavioral therapy can include cognitive restructuring, guilt elimination, and the development of healthy behavioral tragedies. Within APA, this type of therapy is recommended to teach patients to identify the triggers they have experienced and eliminate adverse reactions to them (Watkins et al., 2018). Cognitive behavioral therapy is a highly effective tool that nevertheless requires careful use of mental training.
Prolonged Exposure
Prolonged exposure is an evidence-based treatment for PTSD that is recommended in the APA and VA/DoD guidelines. The technique involves lengthy (up to 15 sessions) treatment that includes two elements of exposure, internal and imaginal (Watkins et al., 2018). As part of the treatment, patients approach those situations, places, and people that cause fear and gradually get rid of the state of distress. With imaginal exposure, patients become accustomed to thoughts and emotions that remind them of the traumatic event and eliminate their fear of them.
PE has been found to reduce most PTSD symptoms reliably and is more effective than counseling and pharmacotherapy. In addition, it has been determined that in some cases, up to 95% lost the diagnosis of PTSD after PE compared to traditional types of treatment (Watkins et al., 2018). This therapy is most effective for survivors of traumatic events and disaster participants. Conventional exposure therapy can be used with PE, which nevertheless shows efficacy mostly in children’s groups (Huang et al., 2022). Consequently, the use of this method of treatment demonstrates high effectiveness, which is why psychologists use it in practice.
Pharmacotherapy
The use of pharmacotherapy in addition to psychological interventions is a frequent practice among physicians. However, it may not consistently demonstrate efficacy due to the specifics of the trauma or conditions of treatment (Watkins et al., 2018). Nevertheless, several medications are highly effective in reducing PTSD symptoms (Bird et al., 2021). For example, a positive effect of MDMA combined with psychotherapy was noted: short-term symptoms decreased significantly at 1-2 months, and long-term at 12 months (Elsouri et al., 2022). This efficacy has been proven with magnetic resonance therapy, which establishes which areas of a person with PTSD show regular activity when using MDMA. For ketamine, there was also a positive trend, with symptom improvement occurring in 56% of cases at two weeks (Elsouri et al., 2022).
Conclusion
There are concerns about the use of the drugs because of a lack of complete understanding of the mechanism of action of the drugs. For example, Bird et al.’s study found no long-term effect of ketamine use: after 41 days, participants again reported an increase in symptoms (Bird et al., 2021). Consequently, medication use is a complex process that requires monitoring and complementary therapies.
References
Bird, C., Modlin, N. L., & Rucker, J. (2021). Psilocybin and MDMA for the treatment of trauma-related psychopathology. International review of psychiatry (Abingdon, England), 33(3), 229-249. Web.
Coventry, P. A., Meader, N., Melton, H., Temple, M., Dale, H., Wright, K., Cloitre, M., Karatzias, T., Bisson, J., Roberts, N. P., Brown, J., Barbui, C., Churchill, R., Lovell, K., McMillan, D., & Gilbody, S. (2020). Psychological and pharmacological interventions for posttraumatic stress disorder and comorbid mental health problems following complex traumatic events: Systematic review and component network meta-analysis. PLoS medicine, 17(8), e1003262. Web.
Elsouri, K. N., Kalhori, S., Colunge, D., Grabarczyk, G., Hanna, G., Carrasco, C., Aleman Espino, A., Francisco, A., Borosky, B., Bekheit, B., Ighanifard, M., Astudillo, A. A., & Demory Beckler, M. (2022). Psychoactive drugs in the management of post traumatic stress disorder: A promising new horizon. Cureus, 14(5), e25235. Web.
Huang, T., Li, H., Tan, S., Xie, S., Cheng, Q., Xiang, Y., & Zhou, X. (2022). The efficacy and acceptability of exposure therapy for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder in children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Psychiatry, 22(259). Web.
Leiva-Bianchi, M., Cornejo, F., Fresno, A., Rojas, C. & Serrano, C. (2018). Effectiveness of cognitive-behavioural therapy for post-disaster distress in post-traumatic stress symptoms after Chilean earthquake and tsunami. Gaceta Sanitaria, 32(3), 291-296 Web.
Watkins, L. E., Sprang, K. R., & Rothbaum, B. O. (2018). Treating PTSD: A review of evidence-based psychotherapy interventions. Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience, 12(258). Web.