Comorbid treatment of traumatic brain injury and mental health disorders.

BACKGROUND: The Emory Healthcare Veterans Program (EHVP) is a multidisciplinary intensive outpatient treatment program for post-9/11 veterans and service members with invisible wounds, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), substance use disorders (SUD), and other anxiety- and depression-related disorders. OBJECTIVE: This article reviews the EHVP. METHODS: The different treatment tracks that provide integrated and comprehensive treatment are highlighted along with a review of the standard, adjunctive, and auxiliary services that complement individualized treatment plans. RESULTS: This review particularly emphasizes the adjunctive neurorehabilitation service offered to veterans and service members with a TBI history and the EVHP data that indicate large reductions in PTSD and depression symptoms across treatment tracks that are maintained across 12 months follow up. Finally, there is a discussion of possible suboptimal treatment response and the pilot programs related to different treatment augmentation strategies being deploying to ensure optimal treatment response for all. CONCLUSION: Published data indicate that the two-week intensive outpatient program is an effective treatment program for a variety of complex presentations of PTSD, TBI, SUD, and other anxiety- and depression-related disorders in veterans and active duty service members.

Effectiveness of the massed delivery of unified protocol for emotional disorders within an intensive outpatient program for military service members and veterans.

Recent evidence supports the implementation of massed delivery of disorder-specific treatments in the military service member and veteran population. However, many treatment settings serve patients with a wide range of diagnoses, and often patients present with comorbid conditions. Growing evidence suggests transdiagnostic cognitive behavioral treatments are effective for a wide range of emotional disorders and may reduce barriers to access. Little is known about the feasibility and outcomes of the massed delivery of transdiagnostic treatments. The present study examined real-world outcomes of a 2-week intensive outpatient program using the Unified Protocol for emotional disorders (UP-IOP). The sample included military service members and veterans diagnosed with a range of emotional disorders, namely trauma- and stressor-related disorders, unipolar depressive disorders, and anxiety disorders. The present study examined outcomes of UP-IOP (depression, trauma-related symptom severity, and emotion dysregulation). Participants included all patients who sought UP-IOP in its first 15 months of operation (N = 117). A diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was an exclusion criterion because the site had an established PTSD-specific IOP treatment option. Findings indicate UP-IOP was feasible, had 94% patient retention, and was effective in reducing symptom severity (Cohen's d = 0.76 for depression symptom severity, Cohen's d = 0.80 for trauma-related symptom severity). There was no observed reduction in emotion dysregulation over the 2-week course of treatment. The intensive transdiagnostic approach resulted in effective symptom reduction in an accelerated timeframe while minimizing patient attrition. These findings indicate massed delivery of transdiagnostic cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) treatments should continue to be explored, especially for this population. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Long-term effectiveness of a prolonged exposure-based intensive outpatient program for veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder.

Empirically-supported psychotherapies for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are highly effective and recommended as first-line treatments, yet dropout rates from standard outpatient therapy are high. Intensive outpatient programs (IOPs) that provide these therapies in condensed format with complementary interventions show promise, as they have demonstrated similar efficacy and higher retention rates. The current study examined initial and long-term outcomes up to 12-months following a 2-week PTSD IOP involving daily prolonged exposure therapy (PE) and adjunctive interventions for veterans and military service members. Participants (N = 376) demonstrated high retention (91%) and large effect size reductions in self-reported PTSD and depression symptoms after two weeks. Small increases in symptoms occurred after 3 months but these stabilized and large reductions compared to baseline were maintained up to 12 months. Piecewise multilevel modeling indicated that demographic variables did not predict PTSD or depression symptom trajectories. Higher PTSD and depression severity at intake predicted higher symptomatology across timepoints and larger relative gains during treatment. Greater alcohol use prior to treatment was associated with higher PTSD symptomatology but did not affect the magnitude of gains. A history of childhood sexual abuse was associated with greater reduction in depression symptoms over treatment, although this effect faded over follow-up. Together these findings underscore the long-term effectiveness of a PE-based IOP across a diverse range of veterans and service members.

Sleep disorder symptoms and massed delivery of prolonged exposure for posttraumatic stress disorder: Nodding off but not missing out.

OBJECTIVE: The impact of disrupted sleep on the effectiveness of prolonged exposure (PE) therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is not well understood. Researchers have suggested that comorbid sleep disorders contribute to nonresponse by impairing therapeutic mechanisms such as emotional processing of trauma memories and extinction in cued fear conditioning. Several studies indicate daytime sleepiness, insomnia, and nightmares are correlated with PTSD symptom severity. However, a recent randomized controlled trial found that these sleep disorder symptoms did not affect PTSD symptom change over the course of massed PE (i.e., daily sessions across 2 weeks). METHOD: The current study used an ecologically valid clinical sample to examine whether daytime sleepiness, insomnia, and nightmares interfere with the slope of symptom change in massed PE. RESULTS: Results indicate that all 3 sleep disorder symptoms correlate with PTSD symptom severity on the first day of treatment but were not associated with symptom change. CONCLUSIONS: These findings are consistent with the expectation that the daily structure of massed PE may enhance treatment engagement in patients who are typically drowsy or not well-rested, thus facilitating fear extinction. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Perceived benefits and drawbacks of massed prolonged exposure: A qualitative thematic analysis of reactions from treatment completers.

OBJECTIVE: Advocates of massed prolonged exposure (PE) argue an intensive approach may address between-session distraction, avoidance, and demotivation that can result in dropout or interference with treatment engagement. Despite growing empirical support for the efficacy and effectiveness of massed PE, little evidence suggests massed PE matches patient preferences. Further, program evaluation efforts have not assessed unforeseen or underestimated benefits and drawbacks of massed PE. The current study is the first known study to assess patient reactions to massed PE. METHOD: Participants were 25 military veterans diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder who were accepted into a 2-week massed PE program. After the final session, participants completed a written survey using open-ended questions regarding their perceived benefits and drawbacks of massing the full PE protocol into 2 weeks. After demonstrating interrater reliability, coders used a thematic analysis approach to identify themes and subthemes in the qualitative data. RESULTS: Overall, participant reactions were much more positive (51.27%) than negative (17.77%). Participants identified benefits that are largely consistent with the justification for massed PE: (a) The structure limits distractions and avoidance, and (b) quick gains enhance motivation and engagement. With respect to drawbacks, participants identified that massed PE causes short-term discomfort and is demanding in terms of effort and time, which is also consistent with clinical theory of PE and justification for massed delivery. CONCLUSIONS: Participant reactions correspond to the rationale for massed PE; that is, participants identified that despite short-term discomfort and demands, they tend to like and benefit from the intensity of massed PE. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

An intensive outpatient program with prolonged exposure for veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder: Retention, predictors, and patterns of change.

High rates of drop-out from treatment of PTSD have challenged implementation. Care models that integrate PTSD focused psychotherapy and complementary interventions may provide benefit in retention and outcome. The first 80 veterans with chronic PTSD enrolled in a 2-week intensive outpatient program combining Prolonged Exposure (PE) and complementary interventions completed symptom and biological measures at baseline and posttreatment. We examined trajectories of symptom change, mediating and moderating effects of a range of patient characteristics. Of the 80 veterans, 77 completed (96.3%) treatment and pre- and posttreatment measures. Self-reported PTSD (p < .001), depression (p < .001) and neurological symptoms (p < .001) showed large reductions with treatment. For PTSD, 77% (n = 59) showed clinically significant reductions. Satisfaction with social function (p < .001) significantly increased. Black veterans and those with a primary military sexual trauma (MST) reported higher baseline severity than white or primary combat trauma veterans respectively but did not differ in their trajectories of treatment change. Greater cortisol response to the trauma potentiated startle paradigm at baseline predicted smaller reductions in PTSD over treatment while greater reductions in this response from baseline to post were associated with better outcomes. Intensive outpatient prolonged exposure combined with complementary interventions shows excellent retention and large, clinically significant reduction in PTSD and related symptoms in two weeks. This model of care is robust to complex presentations of patients with varying demographics and symptom presentations at baseline. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Investigation of optimal dose of early intervention to prevent posttraumatic stress disorder: A multiarm randomized trial of one and three sessions of modified prolonged exposure.

BACKGROUND: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is linked to a specific event, providing the opportunity to intervene in the immediate aftermath of trauma to prevent the development of this disorder. A previous trial demonstrated that trauma survivors who received three sessions of modified prolonged exposure therapy demonstrated decreased PTSD and depression prospectively compared to assessment only. The present study investigated the optimal dosing of this early intervention to test one versus three sessions of exposure therapy in the immediate aftermath of trauma. METHODS: Participants (n = 95) recruited from a Level 1 Trauma Center were randomly assigned in a 1.5:1.5:1 ratio in a parallel-group design to the three conditions: one-session exposure therapy, three-session exposure therapy, and assessment only. Follow-up assessments were conducted by study assessors blind to study condition. RESULTS: Mixed-effects model results found no significant differences in PTSD or depression symptoms between the control condition and those who received one or three exposure therapy sessions across 1-12-month follow-up assessment. Results indicate that the intervention did not interfere with natural recovery. Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses on the screening measure used for study inclusion (Predicting PTSD Questionnaire; PPQ) in the larger sample from which the treatment sample was drawn (n = 481) found that the PPQ was a poor predictor of likely PTSD at all follow-up time points (Area under the curve's = 0.55-0.62). CONCLUSIONS: This likely impacted study results as many participants demonstrated natural recovery. Recommendations for future early intervention research are reviewed, including strategies to identify more accurately those at risk for PTSD and oversampling more severe trauma types.

Changes in trauma-potentiated startle, skin conductance, and heart rate within prolonged exposure therapy for PTSD in high and low treatment responders.

While exposure-based psychotherapy is recommended as a first-line treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) given strong evidence for its effectiveness, some patients fail to receive full benefit. Psychophysiological data may be important complementary indices for investigating variability in treatment response and changes over the course of treatment. The focus of the present investigation was to examine change in psychophysiological indices pre- to post-treatment and to investigate if changes differed for high versus low PTSD treatment responders. Participants included veterans with primary PTSD diagnoses who received a two-week intensive prolonged exposure (PE) treatment. Psychophysiological assessment included trauma-potentiated startle, heart rate, and skin conductance recordings during presentation of three standard virtual reality (VR)-based, trauma-relevant scenes presented through a head mounted display. Results indicate that 48.6% were classified as high treatment responders (≥50% reduction in PCL-5 from baseline). Trauma-potentiated startle was observed in all patients at pre-treatment, F = 13.58, p < .001, in that startle magnitude was increased during VR stimuli relative to baseline regardless of responder status. However, in high treatment responders, there was an interaction of VR with time, F = 14.10, p = .001; VR scenes did not potentiate startle post-treatment. Specifically, high treatment responders were less reactive to trauma stimuli following PE treatment. There was no effect of time in the low responder group. Heart rate reactivity data revealed a significant main effect of treatment, F = 45.7, p = .035, but no significant interaction with responder status. Skin conductance reactivity did not significantly change from pre to post-treatment. These results suggest that trauma-potentiated startle may represent an objective marker of fear- and anxiety-related symptom reduction that is sensitive to both traditional outpatient as well as intensive treatment approaches.

Overgeneralized Beliefs, Accommodation, and Treatment Outcome in Youth Receiving Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Childhood Trauma.

Inhibition of fear generalization with new learning is an important process in treatments for anxiety disorders. Generalization of maladaptive cognitions related to traumatic experiences (overgeneralized beliefs) have been demonstrated to be associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adult populations, whereas more balanced, accommodated beliefs are associated with symptom improvement. It is not yet clear whether (a) overgeneralization and accommodation are associated with PTSD treatment outcome in youth, or (b whether accommodated beliefs can interact with or inhibit cognitive overgeneralization, as has been demonstrated in research on behavior-based fear generalization. The current study examined the relationships between overgeneralized and accommodated beliefs, child age, and symptom reduction in a sample of 81 youth (age 7-17 years), who received Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Overgeneralized and accommodated beliefs expressed during the exposure phase of treatment were coded in audio-recorded therapy sessions. Overgeneralization predicted (a) higher internalizing symptom scores at posttreatment, particularly for younger children, and less improvement over treatment, and (b) higher externalizing scores at 1-year follow-up and steeper symptom increases over this period. In contrast, accommodation was associated with (a) lower posttreatment internalizing symptoms and greater improvement over treatment, and (b) lower externalizing scores at 1-year follow-up, particularly for younger children. High levels of accommodation moderated the relationship between overgeneralization and worse symptom outcomes, except when predicting the slope of internalizing scores over treatment, and age did not moderate these effects. There were no significant predictors of child-reported PTSD-specific symptoms, although PTSD symptoms did decrease significantly over the course of treatment and maintain 1year after treatment.