Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Treatment Outcomes in Military Clinics

Abstract

Introduction Despite a wide literature describing the impact of PTSD on military personnel, there is limited information concerning the results of PTSD treatment within military clinics mental health. Having such information is essential for making predictions about service members’ chances of recovery, choosing best treatments, and for understanding if new interventions improve upon the standard of care. Materials and Methods We reviewed data from the Psychological Health Pathways (PHP) database. Psychological Health Pathways is a standardized battery of demographics and psychometric outcome measures, including measurement of PTSD symptom severity, that is collected in military mental health clinics. We examined changes in PTSD symptom severity scores over time and developed logistic regression models to predict who responded to treatment, showed clinical success, or improved to the point that they could likely stay in the military. Results After about 10 weeks in mental health clinics, severity scores for PTSD, sleep, depression, resilience, and disability all improved significantly. Of 681 patients tracked, 38% had clinically significant reductions on the PTSD Checklist (PCL) (i.e., “treatment response”), 28% no longer met criteria for PTSD on the PCL, and 23% did both (i.e., “clinical treatment success”). For the ultimate end point of “military treatment success,” defined as meeting criteria for both clinical treatment success and reporting that their work-related disability was mild or better, 12.8% of patients succeeded. Depression scores were the most powerful predictor of treatment failure. Conclusions Recovery from PTSD is possible during military service, but it is less likely in individuals with certain negative prognostic factors, most notably severe depression.

Operational Stress Injury

“…While PTSD is present in the general Canadian population, with military and police personnel, it is more likely to develop as they often experience trauma in hostile and/or remote settings [24]. Although individuals with PTSD may experience ongoing mental symptoms throughout their lives, between 38 and 60% of these individuals show marked improvements with treatment [31][32][33] and some eventually experience PTG [86].…”

“…It is not well-known what protective factors delay or prevent the onset and outcome(s) of such PTSDs (although apparently many if not most people exposed to such traumas do not develop PTSD, as is evident in relation to combat warfare); yet repeated exposure to trauma such as combat warfare increases the risk of developing PTSD [30]. The outcome of PTSD is such that many people with it continue to experience some or many of its symptoms, which is particularly evident in relation to people with PTSD that is an OSI, as, depending on the type of treatment provided, between 38-60% of them show significant improvements following treatment [31][32][33].…”

Птср У Військовослужбовців: Особливості Клінічної Картини Та Підходи До Лікування

“…Відновлення після ПТСР можливе під час військової служби, але це менш імовірно в осіб з певними негативними прогностичними факторами, особливо важкою депресією [5]. Вибір ефективних методів медикаментозної та психологічної реабілітації військовослужбовців із ПТСР є надзвичайно актуальним у наш час.…”