Study shows anti-depressants aren't enough to treat PTSD

"Eighty-nine percent of veterans diagnosed with PTSD who are treated with medication are given antidepressants, the only type of medication that's FDA-approved to treat the disorder. But for many, anti-depressants aren't enough."

That is what this new study found but it has been the way the DOD has been "treating" PTSD. Servicemen and women end up being given pills when they finally seek treatment for PTSD but they do not receive the therapy needed in order to heal.

Medications will only numb emotions. They do not take away the reason the person has PTSD. That can only come from therapy. The strongest recommendation came years ago when Vietnam veterans were suffering and forced the VA to treat it. Taking care of the whole person is vital. Treat the mind, yes, but you also have to treat the body so they learn to calm down and relax. You also have to treat the spirit or soul, in order to sort things out and find peace.

Medication is the easiest, quickest way to get them out of the office and send them on their way but it is not the best way to heal them.

Antipsychotic Meds Not Effective for Combat PTSD

By LARA SALAHI (@LaraSalahiABC)
August 2, 2011

Risperidone, antipsychotic medication normally prescribed to treat symptoms of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, may not be effective in treating symptoms of chronic post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a study published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Risperidone is commonly prescribed as an add-on treatment for veterans with the more severe forms of PTSD who do not respond to antidepressants.

"There are many in the VA that are exposed to multiple traumatic situations," said Dr. John Krystal, director of the clinical neuroscience division for the Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD and lead author of the study.

Eighty-nine percent of veterans diagnosed with PTSD who are treated with medication are given antidepressants, the only type of medication that's FDA-approved to treat the disorder. But for many, anti-depressants aren't enough.


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Antipsychotic Meds Not Effective for Combat PTSD



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And then there is this new report coming out about child soldiers from Uganda being treated with "narrative therapy" that shows talk therapy works.

"One-third were treated with narrative exposure therapy, in which 'the participant constructs a detailed chronological account of his or her own biography in cooperation with the therapist to reconstruct fragmented memories of traumatic events and to achieve habituation,' the study said.

Eighty per cent of those subjects (20 of 25 participants) 'were found to have improved with regard to PTSD severity' after eight sessions of 90-120 minutes each."

If you're wondering what this has to do with our young servicemen and women, think of this. Most join the military right out of high school. In other words, well before the emotional part of their brain has fully developed, which happens around the age of 25. Humans are still just human no matter what country they are from. War traumas are war traumas.

Aug 3, 2011
Narrative therapy helps child soldiers: Study
WASHINGTON - BRIEF therapy to help Ugandan former child soldiers talk about their experiences showed the best results in getting rid of post-traumatic stress disorder, said a study published in the US on Tuesday.

The method could be performed by local volunteers at low cost, and was more effective than academic catch-up classes or being put on a waiting list for treatment, said the study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The practice could offer an inexpensive way to ease the transition back to regular life for the 250,000 young people estimated to be actively involved in fighting conflicts in 14 countries around the world, according to UN figures. A total of 85 former child soldiers aged 12-25 who were clinically diagnosed with PTSD took part in what researchers at Germany's Bielefeld University described as the first-ever randomised controlled study of mental health interventions.
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Narrative therapy helps child soldiers

The problem with this type of therapy is, as the saying goes, "talk is cheap" so there aren't any corporations charging millions for medications over a lifetime. Psychiatrists cannot take simple medication appointments every ten minutes if the veterans of combat are being treated with talk therapy and sorting things out emotionally.

Depending on how long PTSD was not treated, there may be a need to continue medications to keep the chemicals in the brain in balance, but with therapy, these medications can be reduced according to most of the experts without an axe to grind.

There are service groups around the county doing it. For the mind there is Give an hour has volunteer therapists ready to help.

Then for the spirit, there is Point Man Ministries with a mission statement that reads;

“ To connect the hurting veteran as well as their families and friends with others who have already begun the transition home after war. With Jesus Christ as our focal point it is our desire is to provide spiritual and emotional healing through our existing Outpost and Home Front system.”

They offer support and address the spiritual part of the veteran but they also take care of the family members to help them get through all of what comes with PTSD, thus helping the veteran heal from knowledge, understanding and spiritual strength of their own.

We can keep doing what has failed hoping the rates of suicides and attempted suicides goes down or we can do what is necessary to make that happen for more veterans. When they want to dedicate their lives in the military it should not mean they have to surrender the rest of their lives to suffering for it. We can get serious about helping them or we can keep repeating the same mistakes that have produced more deaths by suicide, more divorces, more unemployment, more homeless veterans and yes, even more crimes.