WCA Recommendations for the Long-Term Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Date
2003
Authors
Stein D.J.
Bandelow B.
Hollander E.
Nutt D.J.
Okasha A.
Pollack M.H.
Swinson R.P.
Zohar J.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
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Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common and disabling condition. In addition to combat-related PTSD, the disorder occurs in civilians exposed to severe traumatic events, with the community prevalence rate for the combined populations reaching as high as 12%. If left untreated, PTSD may continue for years after the stressor event, resulting in severe functional and emotional impairment and a dramatic reduction in quality of life, with negative economic consequences for both the sufferer and society as a whole. Although PTSD is often overlooked, diagnosis is relatively straight-forward once a triggering stressor event and the triad of persistent symptoms-reexperiencing the traumatic event, avoiding stimuli associated with the trauma, and hyperarousal-have been identified. However, comorbid conditions of anxiety and depression frequently hamper accurate diagnosis. Treatment for PTSD includes psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy. The latter includes selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), tricyclic antidepressants, and monoamine oxidase inhibitors. Only SSRIs have been proven effective and safe in long-term randomized controlled trials. Current guidelines from the Expert Consensus Panel for PTSD recommend treatment of chronic PTSD for a minimum of 12-24 months.
Description
Keywords
amitriptyline, benzodiazepine derivative, brofaromine, buspirone, carbamazepine, citalopram, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, imipramine, lamotrigine, monoamine oxidase inhibitor, nefazodone, noradrenalin uptake inhibitor, paroxetine, phenelzine, serotonin noradrenalin reuptake inhibitor, serotonin uptake inhibitor, sertraline, tricyclic antidepressant agent, unclassified drug, valproic acid, anxiety, behavior therapy, clinical feature, clinical trial, cognitive therapy, combat related posttraumatic stress disorder, comorbidity, conference paper, depression, disease course, drug efficacy, exposure therapy, health economics, human, insomnia, international cooperation, long term care, neuropathology, posttraumatic stress disorder, practice guideline, prevalence, priority journal, psychopharmacotherapy, psychotherapy, psychotrauma, quality of life, recurrent disease, relaxation training, side effect, symptomatology, war, World Council of Anxiety, differential diagnosis, methodology, multimodality cancer therapy, review, time, Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic, Cognitive Therapy, Combined Modality Therapy, Diagnosis, Differential, Humans, Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors, Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors, Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic, Time Factors
Citation
CNS Spectrums
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