Trauma Exposure and PTSD in Philadelphia Community Mental Health

Based on feedback received during post-training consultation within a Prolonged Exposure (PE) implementation initiative, additional assessment training was added to help community providers identify patients who met criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptom severity and were considered appropriate for PTSD treatment. The current study investigated the rates of trauma exposure and PTSD in the community sample, as well as the percentage of individuals deemed "appropriate" for PE by community therapists.

Clinicians involved in the PE Initiative administered the Post-traumatic Diagnostic Scale for DSM-5 (PDS-5) to 10,260 individuals across 13 community agencies. Clinicians were also asked to report whether patients were perceived as appropriate for PE.

Consistent with our hypothesis, the rates of potential PTSD in Philadelphia community mental health (58.2% of our total sample) far exceeded national averages (8.3%). Contrary to our hypothesis, 100% of patients who scored above the clinical cutoff for PTSD were considered appropriate for PE by their community clinician.

The results of this study emphasize the high prevalence of PTSD among individuals presenting for treatment to community mental health centers. Despite common misconceptions that patients are often perceived as ineligible or not appropriate for PE, 100% of patients in the PE Initiative who scored above the clinical cutoff for PTSD were considered good candidates for treatment according to their clinicians. This suggests that with sufficient training and post-training consultation, as provided in this community initiative, community clinicians may be more likely to perceive PE as an appropriate treatment option.