The efficacy of certain psychosocial treatments for PTSD is still a topic of active discussion in the medical community. The purpose of this literature review is to examine the use of psychosocial therapy for PTSD with respect to the most recent studies available. Although many psychosocial treatment methods have not been thoroughly studied for use with PTSD specifically, the medical community has an established interest in the effects and treatment of severe trauma. The rapid production of literature exploring psychosocial treatments for PTSD has allowed for many significant, yet unstable conclusions.
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Definition.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has been referred to as shell shock, war neurosis, rape trauma syndrome and other situational titles for over a century. After gaining validity through time, PTSD was finally categorized in the diagnostic nomenclature in the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III), which was published by the American Psychiatric Association in 1980 (Foa & Meadows, 1997). Today, extensive research studies and reviews are still processing the disorder, as many aspects of its nature remain undetermined.
PTSD has three main symptom clusters: arousal, avoidance, and reexperiencing. Arousal symptoms involve problems concentrating, exaggerated startle response, sleep disturbance, and hypervigilance. Avoidance symptoms involve the avoidance of certain thoughts, feelings, and other things that serve as reminders of the traumatic experience. They also include a lack of emotion or interest in activities, distancing from others both mentally and physically, psychogenic amnesia, and fear of premature death. Reexperiencing symptoms include disruptive thoughts that cause avoidance or arousal symptoms through nightmares, flashbacks, or other dissociative states. Trauma is a fourth cluster of criteria for PTSD. The trauma must be an event that makes the individual feel extremely frightened and vulnerable.