Expert Consensus Guidelines™ - Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Foa EB, Davidson JRT, Frances A, eds. The Expert Consensus Guidelines™: Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. J Clin Psychiatry 1999;60 (suppl 16).

As many as 70% of adults in the United States have experienced at least one major trauma in their lives, and many of them have suffered from the emotional reactions that are called PTSD. It is estimated that 5% of the population currently have PTSD and that 8% have had PTSD at some point in their lives. Helping reduce the emotional aftermath of trauma has become an increasing focus of attention since the tragedy of September 11, 2001. Based on a survey of 52 experts on the psychotherapy of PTSD and 57 experts on psychopharmacology, these Expert Consensus Guidelines™ provide guidance on the diagnosis of PTSD and common comorbid conditions, on selecting the overall treatment strategy (whether to begin with psychotherapy or a combination of medication and psychotherapy), and level of care issues. Guidelines give recommendations for preferred psychotherapy techniques and medications for treating specific types of target symptoms and comorbid conditions. The guidelines also present recommendations on handling inadequate treatment response, maintenance treatment, medication dosing, enhancing compliance, and preventing PTSD. A special two page treatment guide for primary care practitioners is included as well as a "Guide for Patients and Families." that was developed with the assistance of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA).

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The following files are available for download:

A. Full reprint in PDF: Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Single copies of this document may be downloaded and printed free of charge. If you want to print more than one copy of this document, there is a reprint fee of $1.25 per copy. Please complete the form at the beginning of the guideline file and mail it to Physicians Postgraduate Press.

Adobe Acrobat format (794k)

B. Guide for Patients and Families in PDF

This document may be downloaded and printed free of charge.

Adobe Acrobat format (118k)