Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research
PTSD Related to September 11, 2001
Long Term Impact of 9/11 Attacks in Primary Care
Principal Investigator: Yuval Neria, PhD
*Not recruiting participants
Overview of the Study:
The aim of this study is to identify risk and protective factors for the development and persistence of post-disaster psychopathology in a low-income, urban, primary care population; to determine the role of ethnicity and acculturation in the expression of physical and mental symptoms and in seeking post-disaster mental health treatment; and to explore the role of post disaster factors such as social support in mediating the disaster effects over time.
In collaboration with Drs. Myrna Weissman and Mark Olfson from the Department of Epidemiology/NYSPI, Rafael Lantigua and Stevan Shea from the Department of Medicine, and the AIM primary care clinic/CUMC, we have conducted a longitudinal study in a cohort of primary care, mostly Hispanic patients, who are residents of NYC and who have reported significant exposure to the 9/11 attacks, when they have been interviewed by our research team approximately one and four years after the 9/11attacks.
Initial findings from this study suggest that 9/11 PTSD in this urban population of primary care patients is common and clinically significant (Neria et al., 2006). PTSD found to be highly comorbid with major depression, generalized anxiety disorder, suicidal ideation, impairment and disability.
Combination Treatment of PTSD Among 9/11 Victims (IRB #4744)
Principal Investigator: Franklin Schneier, MD
Click here to participate in this treatment program
Overview of the Study:
This treatment program evaluates the efficacy of a combination of two complementary established treatments for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in persons who have developed chronic PTSD as a result of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. All participants will receive individual weekly 90 minute therapy sessions of a specific psychotherapy that has been found to be effective in treating symptoms of PTSD such as anxiety, emotional numbness, vivid traumatic memories and sleep problems. Medication has also proven helpful in reducing symptoms of PTSD. All participants will be randomized to medication (Paroxetine CR) or placebo.
This study is funded by the National Institute of Mental Health allowing us to provide evaluations, therapy and medication at no cost to participants in the Treatment Program.
PTSD Related to the Iraq and Afghanistan War
Brief Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Returning War Veterans (IRB# 5731)
Principal Investigator: Yuval Neria, PhD
*Not currently recruiting participants
Overview of the Study:
This treatment program will examine the efficacy of a Brief Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (BCBT) for war veterans who have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan dealing with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a debilitating condition that occurs as a result of a traumatic event. These incidences are often difficult to disclose or to process. At the same time, there is evidence to suggest that those who have social resources and use them to confide and disclose such experiences (e.g., Ozer et al., 2003; Neria et al., 1998; 2000; Litz et al., 2007) will be less likely to develop chronic PTSD and various functional difficulties, that otherwise result from guilt, avoidance, withdrawal, and disengagement from peers and supports.
PTSD Related to Trauma Exposure
Psychotherapies for Chronic Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (IRB#5660)
Principal Investigator: John Markowitz, MD
Click here to participate in this treatment program
Overview of the Study:
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a prevalent, debilitating psychiatric disorder. Only two types of treatment have shown efficacy for chronic PTSD in replicated research: exposure-based cognitive behavioral therapies (CBTs) and serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Prolonged Exposure (PE) studies have shown that repeated exposure to memories and reminders of trauma is an effective way to treat PTSD. Yet multiple studies also document a central role for social and interpersonal processes in recovery after trauma, and exposure to reminders of trauma may not be the only way to treat PTSD.
Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT), a well established treatment for mood disorders, differs in theory and technique from CBT. It focuses on the relationship between symptoms and social environment: how feelings affect interactions with other people, and how encounters with other people affect feelings. Our pilot study found IPT had great promise for PTSD. Unlike CBT treatments for PTSD, IPT targets interpersonal functioning, encouraging neither reexperiencing of traumatic memories nor out-of-session exposure to reminders of the trauma. IPT is thus a plausible alternative treatment approach. Relaxation Therapy, a treatment that helps patients learn to relax their bodies and minds, has shown benefits in treating PTSD in multiple studies.
We propose to test the efficacy of IPT for PTSD under controlled conditions. A 14-week randomized controlled trial will compare IPT adapted for PTSD (IPT-PTSD), Prolonged Exposure (PE) therapy, and Relaxation therapy (R) for 165 patients with chronic PTSD. Therapists are highly trained and expertly supervised. Independent evaluators will assess outcomes. Responders will enter a three-month observational follow-up phase to assess persistence of treatment benefits. This state-of-the-art design will allow clinicians to interpret results with practicality. It presents a rare and nearly ideal opportunity to study psychotherapy mechanisms by contrasting two very different treatments. The study explores hypotheses about treatment mechanism by studying the timing of exposure-related change and interpersonal change in the two active treatments. We have been funded by the National Institute of Mental Health to begin a five year study in the spring of 2008.
