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Post traumatic stress disorder: an eclectic approach
L Brodsky1, A L Doerman, L S Palmer
1University of Florida, College of Medicine, Tallahassee.
International Journal of Psychosomatics : Official Publication of the International Psychosomatics Institute
|January 1, 1990
Summary
Flashbacks in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may stem from temporal lobe epileptiform activity. Anticonvulsant medication and a modified psychotherapy integrating desensitization effectively controlled these disabling PTSD flashbacks.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is often characterized by debilitating symptoms, including intrusive flashbacks during waking states.
- A subset of PTSD patients experiencing severe flashbacks exhibit epileptiform discharges originating from temporal lobe foci.
Observation:
- The study identified eight cases where PTSD flashbacks were associated with temporal lobe epileptiform activity.
- This suggests flashbacks may involve abnormal neuronal firing linked to traumatic events.
Findings:
- Anticonvulsant medications, specifically carbamazepine and valproate, completely controlled flashbacks in all eight documented cases.
- A modified psychotherapeutic approach combining abreaction with desensitization, utilizing audiotaped reliving of traumatic events, was also employed.
Implications:
- Pharmacological intervention with anticonvulsants offers a targeted treatment for PTSD flashbacks linked to temporal lobe abnormalities.
- Integrating pharmacotherapy with a novel psychotherapeutic model, including taped desensitization, shows promise for managing complex PTSD symptoms.