A Review of PTSD and Current Treatment Strategies

Current treatment strategies for control of trauma-associated symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) have recently been updated by the Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DoD, after over a decade of dedicated research. The most recent evidence is compelling that its use of trauma-focused therapies such as Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE), Eye Movement, Desensitization, and Restructuring (EMDR), and others with significant trauma focus are the current gold standard for treatment. Additional medication use may be of assistance in treatment of symptomology, with special avoidance of benzodiazepines or other sedative hypnotic medications which are causal of increased intrusive and dissociative symptoms over time.