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The treatment of post‐traumatic stress disorder
Author(s) -
McFarlane A. C.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
british journal of medical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.102
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 2044-8341
pISSN - 0007-1129
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-8341.1989.tb02813.x
Subject(s) - psychology , traumatic stress , modalities , psychotherapist , arousal , clinical psychology , treatment modality , psychiatry , alliance , medicine , social psychology , social science , surgery , sociology , political science , law
This report reviews treatment studies of post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Much of the literature is descriptive and concentrates on particular treatment modalities without attempting to integrate these different approaches into the wider body of knowledge about PTSD. No study has randomly assigned patients to experimental and control groups. The treatment of 56 patients with PTSD is described, highlighting issues which influence the choice of approach and focus of therapy. These issues are seldom mentioned in the PTSD literature and include the unusual difficulties involved in developing a therapeutic alliance, the role of non‐specific elements and the treatment of coexistent psychiatric disorders which are frequently present. The need to consider separately the degree of disturbed attention and arousal, the nature of the traumatic preoccupation and the patient's social and occupational functioning are stressed. The lack of knowledge about the natural history of PTSD and the different effectiveness of treatments in the acute and chronic stages are other uncertainties about the treatment of PTSD. Consideration of these points has led to a series of recommendations for future studies of the treatment of PTSD.