Evaluation of cognitive restructuring for post-traumatic stress disorder in people with severe mental illness.

BACKGROUND: A cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) programme designed for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in people with severe mental illness, including breathing retraining, education and cognitive restructuring, was shown to be more effective than usual services. AIMS: To evaluate the incremental benefit of adding cognitive restructuring to the breathing retraining and education components of the CBT programme (trial registration: clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT00494650). METHOD: In all, 201 people with severe mental illness and PTSD were randomised to 12- to 16-session CBT or a 3-session brief treatment programme (breathing retraining and education). The primary outcome was PTSD symptom severity. Secondary outcomes were PTSD diagnosis, other symptoms, functioning and quality of life. RESULTS: There was greater improvement in PTSD symptoms and functioning in the CBT group than in the brief treatment group, with both groups improving on other outcomes and effects maintained 1-year post-treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive restructuring has a significant impact beyond breathing retraining and education in the CBT programme, reducing PTSD symptoms and improving functioning in people with severe mental illness.

Public mental health clients with severe mental illness and probable posttraumatic stress disorder: trauma exposure and correlates of symptom severity.

Individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) are at greatly increased risk for trauma exposure and for the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study reports findings from a large, comprehensive screening of trauma and PTSD symptoms among public mental health clients in a statewide community mental health system. In 851 individuals with SMI and probable PTSD, childhood sexual abuse was the most commonly endorsed index trauma, followed closely by the sudden death of a loved one. Participants had typically experienced an average of 7 types of traumatic events in their lifetime. The number of types of traumatic events experienced and Hispanic ethnicity were significantly associated with PTSD symptom severity. Clients reported experiencing PTSD in relation to events that occurred on average 20 years earlier, suggesting the clinical need to address trauma and loss throughout the lifespan, including their prolonged after-effects.

Impulsivity and risk-taking in co-occurring psychotic disorders and substance abuse.

Impulsivity is a risk-factor associated with substance use disorders. On paper-and-pencil measures, people with comorbid psychotic disorders and substance abuse have been shown to be more impulsive than their non-using counterparts. However, there has been little research on the behavioral components that, collectively, define the construct of impulsivity, which have been identified as: temporal discounting, risk taking, underestimating time, and failure to inhibit extraneous responding. This study compared people with psychotic disorders who did and did not use cocaine on behavioral measures of these components. One group (COC-now) had a positive urine drug screen (UDS) for cocaine (N=20). A second group (COC-past) had a negative UDS, but a positive cocaine history (N=20). Finally, the third group (control) had no history of cocaine use (N=20). Those with a current or past history of cocaine use engaged in more risk-taking behaviors and seemed to be less affected by anticipated loss and more attuned to monetary gains. However, contrary to our hypothesis, patients in the COC-now group selected larger, delayed rewards over the smaller, immediate rewards. Performance on the immediate/delay task also suggested greater attentiveness to the magnitude of the monetary reward for patients with a positive UDS.

Use of fidelity assessments to train clinicians in the CBT for PTSD program for clients with serious mental illness.

OBJECTIVE: One barrier to disseminating evidence-based practices for persons with serious mental illness is the difficulty of training frontline clinicians. This study evaluated whether frontline clinicians could be trained to implement an empirically supported cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) program for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among persons with serious mental illness when a standardized fidelity measure was used to provide clinicians with feedback on practice cases. METHODS: Twenty-five clinicians (23 master's level) at five agency sites were trained in the CBT for PTSD program and delivered it to 35 clients (practice cases) over six months. Supervisors or consultants used the fidelity measure to rate audio-recorded sessions and provide feedback. A criterion of competence was established to designate program certification. Clients' PTSD and depression symptoms were monitored. Clinicians' satisfaction with training was also assessed. RESULTS: Two clinicians dropped out, and 21 of the remaining 23 clinicians (91%) achieved program certification with their first case; the remaining two (9%) achieved it with their second case. Clients' symptoms, measured by the PTSD Checklist and the Beck Depression Inventory, decreased significantly during treatment, suggesting clinical benefits of the program. Clinicians reported that group supervision was very helpful and written feedback was helpful or very helpful. All rated the training as excellent. CONCLUSIONS: Results support the feasibility of training frontline clinicians in the CBT for PTSD program by using regular feedback based on the fidelity measure and indicate that most clinicians can achieve competence in the model with a single practice case.