Cognitive processing therapy for veterans with comorbid PTSD and alcohol use disorders

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology
• Addiction Medicine

Background:

• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) frequently co-occur in veteran populations.
• Exclusion of patients with AUD from PTSD treatment studies limits understanding of intervention efficacy and tolerability.
• No prior studies have assessed cognitive PTSD interventions for comorbid PTSD/AUD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the tolerability and effectiveness of Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for veterans with comorbid PTSD and AUD.
• To compare CPT outcomes in veterans with PTSD/AUD versus those with PTSD only.
• To evaluate CPT's impact on PTSD and depression symptoms in an outpatient setting.

Main Methods:

• Chart review of 536 veterans diagnosed with PTSD who received at least one CPT session.
• Categorization of participants into current AUD, past AUD, and no AUD groups.
• Analysis of CPT session completion rates and symptom reduction.

Main Results:

• Nearly half (49.3%) of veterans had a current or past AUD diagnosis.
• No significant difference in CPT session completion across AUD diagnostic groups.
• All groups showed significant reductions in PTSD and depression symptoms.
• Individuals with past AUD reported higher initial PTSD symptoms than those with no AUD.

Conclusions:

• Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is well-tolerated by veterans with comorbid AUD.
• CPT is associated with significant symptom reduction in PTSD and depression for veterans with comorbid AUD in outpatient settings.