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Discussion: Treatment of prolonged posttraumatic stress disorder—learning from experience
Author(s) -
Shalev Arieh Y.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
journal of traumatic stress
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.259
H-Index - 134
eISSN - 1573-6598
pISSN - 0894-9867
DOI - 10.1002/jts.2490100307
Subject(s) - distress , psychological intervention , context (archaeology) , psychology , posttraumatic stress , causation , psychiatry , clinical psychology , resistance (ecology) , psychotherapist , paleontology , ecology , political science , law , biology
Reports of limited treatment effect in Vietnam veterans with PTSD are discussed. Survivors of multiple traumata who suffer from complex PTSD and who live in poverty and distress may not properly represent the general case of PTSD. Yet the lessons learned suggest that attempts to treat prolonged PTSD by rederessing causation are ineffective. The appropriateness of targeting symptoms is also challenged. Previously heralded rethorics of healing trauma should be replaced by careful assessment of residual disability in a social context. Recognizing treatment‐resistance in PTSD could lead to favorably investigating interventions of modest effect, to shifting from exploration to rehabilitation, and to redefining outcome measures such that changes in a variety of domains are appreciated.