First-Line Treatments
The guideline recommends offering patients three interventions, all of which are variations of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). The category of CBT encompasses various types and elements of treatment used by cognitive behavioral therapists, while Cognitive Processing Therapy, and Prolonged Exposure are all more specialized treatments that focus on particular aspects of CBT interventions.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) »
Cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on the relationships among thoughts, feelings and behaviors; targets current problems and symptoms; and focuses on changing patterns of behaviors, thoughts and feelings that lead to difficulties in functioning.
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) »
Cognitive processing therapy is a specific type of cognitive behavioral therapy that helps patients learn how to modify and challenge unhelpful beliefs related to the trauma.
Prolonged Exposure »
Prolonged exposure is a specific type of cognitive behavioral therapy that teaches individuals to gradually approach trauma-related memories, feelings and situations. By facing what has been avoided, a person presumably learns that the trauma-related memories and cues are not dangerous and do not need to be avoided.
Second-Line Treatments
The guideline suggests offering patients three psychotherapies and four medications. Interventions that received a conditional recommendation all have evidence that indicates that they can lead to good treatment outcomes; however, the evidence may not be as strong, or the balance of treatment benefits and possible harms may be less favorable, or the intervention may be less applicable across treatment settings or subgroups of individuals with PTSD. Additional research may lead to a change in the strength of recommendations in future guidelines.
Cognitive Therapy »
Derived from cognitive behavioral therapy, cognitive therapy entails modifying the pessimistic evaluations and memories of trauma, with the goal of interrupting the disturbing behavioral and/or thought patterns that have been interfering in the person’s daily life.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy »
A structured therapy that encourages the patient to briefly focus on the trauma memory while simultaneously experiencing bilateral stimulation (typically eye movements), which is associated with a reduction in the vividness and emotion associated with the trauma memories.
Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) »
Narrative exposure therapy helps individuals establish a coherent life narrative in which to contextualize traumatic experiences.
Medications »
Four medications were suggested for use in the treatment of PTSD (listed alphabetically): fluoxetine, paroxetine, sertraline, and venlafaxine.
This website is for informational and educational purposes only. It does not render individual professional advice or endorse any particular treatment for any individuals. APA recommends that individuals consult with a mental health professional in order to obtain an accurate diagnosis and to discuss various treatment options. When you meet with a professional, be sure to work together to establish clear treatment goals and to monitor progress toward those goals. Even treatments that have scientific support will not work for everyone, and carefully monitoring your progress will help you and your mental health professional decide if a different approach should be tried. Feel free to print information from this website and take it with you to discuss with your mental health professional.