PTSD Treatment Effective PTSD Treatment Application Essay

The other principal difference between the sources reviewed is that the first included narratives authored by different clinicians and experts and incorporated their anecdotal professional experiences as well as their description of the manner in which their treatment approaches relies on empirical research in each of their different areas of clinical expertise. As a result, that work is an appropriate reference for the available treatment options for PTSD and for the optimal combination of different approaches in specific types of cases.

By contrast, the second source consists only of a literature review of previous research without any narrative contribution from experts apart from the conclusions in each of the studies reviewed. More importantly, this source does not address or consider any non-pharmacological PTSD interventions, much less any combinations of multiple modalities concurrently. In fact, the authors expressly reference the apparent absence in the available literature of any studies specifically investigating the relative effectiveness of such combined forms of treatment, such as pharmacotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or other traditional forms of treatment such as psychodynamic therapy. In fact, because the relative value of the work is, necessarily, limited to the scope of SSRI-based pharmacotherapy, perhaps the most significant and valuable aspect of it is, precisely, the identification of such a significant gap in the available research literature addressing combined forms of therapy. The authors actually note that this gap is particularly surprising since combined forms of therapy are used so routinely in the treatment of PTSD.

Learner's Position on Psychological Debriefing and Incident Stress Debriefing

The first source covers the topic of psychological debriefing in various discussions involving non-pharmacological interventions. The second source, because of its limited scope, does not. It seems that psychological debriefing would be an essential element in all PTSD issues, mainly because, unlike other psychological disorders, in PTSD, the root cause of the disorder is readily apparent. The debriefing process is a valuable tool that enables clinicians to determine the severity of symptoms and of the disruption of life or diminution of the quality of life of each patient. That process would be valuable in selecting the specific treatment for each patient. Finally, because PTSD is known to result from specific kinds of experiences, debriefing immediately following those experiences would also appear to be especially valuable and even provide a mechanism for reducing the incidence or severity of PTSD resulting from those experiences.

References

Davis L.L., Frazier E.C., Williford R .B., and Newell J.M. "Long-Term

Pharmacotherapy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder." CNS Drugs, Vol. 20, No.

6 (2006): 465-476.

Foa E., Keane T.M., Friedman M.J., and Cohen J.A. (2008). Effective Treatments for PTSD: Practice Guidelines from the International Society for Traumatic Stress

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