As spring tips toward summer, we peek behind the curtain of PTSD care, a look at the effects of adverse childhood experiences, and help for binge eating.
Veterans Stick with Evidence-Based PTSD Therapies More Often
A new paper in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry sheds light on how veterans engage with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) treatments in real-world clinical settings. The data underscores some promising trends – along with a few persistent challenges.
The researchers examined outcomes for 480 veterans enrolled in a Veterans Affairs (VA) PTSD specialty clinic, comparing trauma-focused evidence-based psychotherapies (EBPs) like Cognitive Processing Therapy and Prolonged Exposure with other evidence-informed practices (EIPs), such as mindfulness and emotion regulation therapies.
More than 70 percent of participants engaged with treatment. But fewer than half received an “adequate dose” – defined as attending at least eight sessions. Notably, veterans who engaged with EBPs attended more sessions – and were more likely to complete treatment – compared to those in EIPs. It surprised the researchers since it contradicts earlier studies that hinted at higher dropout rates for EBPs.
The researchers didn’t uncover any notable differences between group and individual therapy formats in terms of engagement or treatment completion. Even so, veterans in individual therapy typically made it to more sessions. And since the veterans were free to choose whichever treatment method they preferred, the study also highlights the importance of patient choice – along with therapist collaboration.
The study, which took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlights a yawning gap between clinical trial outcomes and real-world effectiveness. As a result, it illustrates how critical it is to pursue further research into what works best (and for whom) in routine care settings.
Ultimately, the results of this study reinforce the notion that veterans are not only willing to participate in EBPs, but they’re more likely to stick with them. It upends our assumptions about treatment tolerability and dropout rates in real-world care.
IN OTHER PSYCHIATRY AND NEUROLOGY NEWS
- The Primary Care Companion for CNS Disorders looks at adverse childhood experiences and how they can threaten one’s long-term health and well-being.
- JCP also documents how cognitive-based therapy and lisdexamfetamine have helped as effective treatment strategies for treating binge eating disorders.
- PCC reports on data that face-to-face office-based psychiatric consultations appear to exhibit clear seasonal shifts, especially among younger patients, which could influence psychiatric service planning.
- JCP also has new original research into a clinical trial that found that combining intranasal oxytocin with Alcohol Behavioral Couple Therapy (ABCT) didn’t improve alcohol or relationship outcomes more than ABCT with a placebo.
- Finally, PCC published new insight into absconding and the need for better risk assessment and preventive strategies.
