Question

What are the effective proposed programs approach to carry out for the treatment and prevention of PTSD (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder) patients in low- to middle-income countries?

Answer 1

Prevention is broadly defined as measures taken to avoid the occurrence of disease or “interventions that are applied before the onset of a clinically diagnosable disorder with the aim of reducing the number of new cases of that disorder”

The term can also be applied to an intervention aimed at limiting the disorder’s progression, relapse, or associated disability. Prevention of PTSD in active-duty personnel is provided via programs aimed at preparing service members for combat and other deployment-related stressors. Some programs focus on reducing the risk of exposure to traumatic events (such as interventions aimed at reducing the risk of military sexual trauma) and on training service members to respond effectively to such events if they occur.

Ways to prevent PTSD include keeping civilian and military populations out of harm's way and completely eliminating emotional traumas associated with rape, violent crime, or severe accidents. Unfortunately, neither goal is possible to achieve.

Psychological interventions including:

• Trauma-focused CBT.
• Cognitive restructuring and cognitive processing therapy.
• Exposure-based therapies.
• Coping skills therapy (including stress inoculation therapy)
• Psychological first aid.
• Psychoeducation.
• Normalization.
• EMDR.

Read on to learn more about the stages of PTSD as the mental health condition is treated.

• Impact or “Emergency” Stage. This phase occurs immediately after the traumatic event.
• Denial Stage. Not everybody experiences denial when dealing with PTSD recovery.
• Short-term Recovery Stage.
• Long-term Recovery Stage.

There are four SSRIs/SNRIs that are recommended for PTSD:

• Sertraline (Zoloft)
• Paroxetine (Paxil)
• Fluoxetine (Prozac)
• Venlafaxine (Effexor)

The lifetime prevalence of PTSD was highest among Blacks (8.7%), intermediate among Hispanics and Whites (7.0% and 7.4%) and lowest among Asians (4.0%). Differences in risk for trauma varied by type of event