Research Plus

PTSD treatment

A systematic review of interventions used to treat adults diagnosed with PTSD, which included 101 papers reporting 92 studies, found that evidence quality was often limited. Psychological therapies are effective, but only exposure therapy is supported by high strength evidence. There is moderate quality evidence that cognitive processing therapy, cognitive therapy, CBT- mixed therapies, eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing, and narrative exposure therapy are effective for improving symptoms and/or achieving loss of PTSD diagnosis. There is moderate strength evidence that pharmacological treatments are effective (fluoxetine, paroxetine, sertraline, topiramate and venlafaxine). There is insufficient evidence to support the often-held view that psychological treatments should be used before drugs are prescribed.

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2013. Comparative Effectiveness Review no.92.

Tags antidepressants cbt - cognitive behavioural therapy evidence based practice ptsd - post traumatic stress disorder

Occupational Health at Work June/July 2013 (vol. 10/1) pp40