Behavioral treatment of PTSD in a perpetrator of manslaughter: a single case study

Studies of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have predominantly focused on victims of trauma. Some studies have examined the after-effects of a person's own violent actions in combat or police situations. However, there is a sparsity of literature examining the development of PTSD in convicted perpetrators of violent crime, and there is no literature concerning the treatment of PTSD in such perpetrators. This single-case study presents the outcome of behavioral treatment in one case in which the patient had PTSD consequential to being a perpetrator of manslaughter. The theoretical implications of this case are briefly discussed.