Psychotherapy for Military-Related PTSD Does Not Have to Be Trauma-Focused

In a research review and a treatment study, improvement was seen with non–trauma-focused psychotherapy, but only a minority of patients achieved remission with any psychotherapy type.

Many returning military veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although antidepressant medications are effective, evidence of effectiveness is more extensive for trauma-focused psychotherapies for PTSD, leading to their recommendation as first-line treatments. Two reports now provide more data.

Steenkamp and colleagues reviewed 36 randomized, controlled studies of psychotherapy for military PTSD. Fifteen studies were of trauma-focused psychotherapy. Cognitive processing therapy (CPT) and prolonged exposure (PE), the gold-standard therapies used in Veterans Affairs settings, showed large effect sizes (with better evidence for CPT than for PE), but 35% to 50% of veterans showed no appreciable effect and two thirds continue…

Reviewing Author

Peter Roy-Byrne, MD

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Peter Roy-Byrne, MD

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Psychotherapy for Military-Related PTSD Does Not Have to Be Trauma-Focused

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Reviewing Author