The integrative management of PTSD: A review of conventional and CAM approaches used to prevent and treat PTSD with emphasis on military personnel

Publication date: Available online 20 January 2015 Source:Advances in Integrative Medicine Author(s): James Lake Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may be the most urgent problem the U.S. military is facing today. Pharmacological and psychological interventions reduce the severity of some PTSD symptoms however these conventional approaches have limited efficacy. This issue is compounded by the high rate of co-morbid traumatic brain injury (TBI) and other medical and psychiatric disorders in veterans diagnosed with PTSD and unresolved system-level problems within the Veterans Administration and Department of Defense healthcare services that interfere with adequate and prompt care for veterans and active duty military personnel. This paper is offered as a framework for interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration between experts in biomedicine and CAM addressing three primary areas of need: resiliency training in high risk military populations, prevention of PTSD following exposure to combat-related trauma, and treatment of established cases of PTSD. The evidence for widely used conventional pharmacological and psychological interventions used in the VA/DOD healthcare systems to treat PTSD is reviewed. Challenges and barriers to adequate assessment and treatment of PTSD in military personnel are discussed. A narrative review of promising CAM modalities used to prevent or treat PTSD emphasizes interventions that are not widely used in VA/DOD clinics and programmes. Inter...
Source: Advances in Integrative Medicine - Category: Internal Medicine Source Type: research