A short but intensive approach to "talk therapy" can help many combat veterans overcome post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a new clinical trial has found.

The study tested "compressed" formats of a standard PTSD treatment called prolonged exposure therapy, in which patients learn to gradually face the trauma-related memories they normally avoid.

Traditionally, that has meant therapy once a week, over the course of a few months.

But while prolonged exposure therapy is often effective for PTSD, there is room for improvement, according to Alan Peterson, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.

In general, he said, prolonged exposure (PE) therapy does not work as well for combat veterans as it does for civilians with PTSD. In an earlier trial, Peterson and his colleagues found that about 60% of combat vets still met the criteria for PTSD six months after therapy.

So for the new trial, his team tested the effects of two compressed PE formats, where vets attended therapy every weekday for three weeks. It's a concept that some PTSD programs have been offering in recent years.

The general idea, Peterson explained, is that the short time window will help more patients stick with therapy. And the intensity of daily sessions, with patients devoting their time and energy toward getting better, might also boost effectiveness, he suggested.

For the study, the researchers randomly assigned 234 veterans with combat-related PTSD to one of two groups. One received 90-minute PE therapy sessions, five days a week, for three weeks.

Essentially, Peterson explained, PE encourages people to dig into their trauma-related memories, retelling their stories and learning to face — rather than avoid — situations and feelings that remind them of their trauma.

The other study group also had daily PE sessions, plus various "modules" that extended the treatment to a full day.

Some of those enhancements included education sessions that involved family members or friends, onsite "homework" assignments, and feedback from therapists.

In the end, the trial found, both groups fared equally well. More than 60% of patients saw a substantial reduction in their PTSD symptoms soon after therapy ended, and the improvements were largely maintained for six months.

https://www.circle-health.org/health-and-wellness/health-library/3-week-program-effective-in-helping-to-ease-combat-linked-ptsd