Individualized PTSD Therapy is More Effective Than Group Therapy – A Research Proposes

Self-help group and Active-duty personnel of the armed forces who experience combat-related Post-traumatic stress disorder get healthier quicker by undergoing cognitive processing treatment alone, as opposed to in a self-help group, a recent research report suggests.  The research posted in the November edition of JAMA Psychiatry found that those patients improved significantly regardless of how they obtained care. Those who received it on an individualized basis, on the other hand, twice enhanced as compared to those who got in the form of self-help group. 

Cognitive processing therapy and self-help group make an individual think of his or her trauma differently. The professional therapists achieve the result by asking “Socratic Questions”. These questions are related to the great philosopher Socrates. He believed that the people who consider themselves most means they know themselves more than anyone else (makes them understand their feelings, thoughts and emotions clearly) are the ones who can find the joy of their life easily. But, on the other hand, he said that he knows nothing about himself. Having such a mindset makes the victims, even every individual, analyze situations in different ways. He or she can easily find the root cause of the trauma or psychological illness. Open-mindedness is a factor in realizing the truth; you can see obstacles and secure a solution more easily and quickly when you know the truth. These different perspectives of thinking and feeling make an individual with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Hence, finding the root cause of PTSD is the best way to cure the disease without any medication or self-help group. An individual living with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder often stops on an irritating point or idea and cannot overpower the stress. So, recognizing the self is the best way to overcome anxiety.  

An individual with that kind of perspective can look at situations, even stressful ones, with an open heart and multiple viewpoints. Those new perspectives can be freeing for anyone suffering from PTSD, especially when they get trapped on “stuck point.” “I can’t trust anyone” is a typical stuck point for individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder. A successful psychologist will find ways to help them figure out the “why” underlying their behaviour and then work with them to re-learn how to accept others based on their responses. It also aids them in properly comprehending the trauma’s meaning, which can get vague with time. 

A professional therapist will ask questions to enable them to figure out the “why” about their behaviour and then work with them to re-learn how to trust others based on their responses.  The research, conducted by Patricia Resick of Duke University Medical Center, surveyed 268 active-duty military members at Fort Hood, Texas, who were receiving care for post-traumatic stress disorder. Many of them had been stationed in or near Iraq or Afghanistan. All but 24 of the participants were males, with an age category of 33. 

Respondents in the sample were randomly assigned either to self-help group or independent Cognitive Procession Therapy two times a week for six weeks. The counselling was provided to all self-help group at the same time. Many of the people in the study had co-occurring conditions like anxiety or alcoholism. Many who had suicidal or homicidal intentions were not allowed to participate in the analysis. 

Therapy Failed at 50% Of Participants. 

Even though Cognitive Processing Therapy supported half of all self-help group participants, irrespective of whether they got it in teams or one-on-one, the other half tended to have significant post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. While their symptoms increased, the majority of them managed to struggle from depression.  The investigators concluded that people in private therapy did a lot better than those in forms of associations because they had more than one treatment and had the ability to rearrange missed appointments. 

The research made no mention of the stigma associated with post-traumatic stress disorder or the “totally suck” or “be strong” attitude prevalent in the service of the armed forces. Miss U.S.A. Deshauna Barber, an active-duty military veteran, outlined these things and discussed how she wants to utilize her position as the Miss United States of America to promote the nationwide dialogue around them in the latest discussion with Foundations Recovery Network

With the United States has been in military conflicts in different regions of the world for six years, post-traumatic stress disorder by veterans has been a regional epidemic Suicides in the forces, amongst both active-duty and vets, have risen dramatically, gaining national recognition.  However, someone who has been exposed to extreme trauma will develop post-traumatic stress disorder, a chronic condition that renders many people powerless to perform correctly or otherwise escape their homes and need self-help group. 

Need of More and Comprehensive Research on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Co-Occurring Disorder 

More Research on PTSD and Substance Abuse Co-Occurrence Is Needed. 

Suspicion, frustration, rage, severe depression, and an inability to connect and trust people or act emotionally are all symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Research conducted by the U.S. National Medicine Library showed that therapies utilized as a single remedy or self-help group for mental wellbeing are often beneficial for people with dual diagnostic diseases. In the very same way, the medications used to support people suffering from drug dependence often work to prevent drug addiction if any infection occurs. So, what kind of therapies appropriate for a double diagnosed person? The solution to this highly critical question relies on the needs of the victim. One of several driving philosophies of opioid addiction and dual diagnosis is that of approaching a patient as a person but not as a list of signs or illnesses. 

The national drug abuse institute N.I.D.A proved that perhaps the best appropriate recovery services would adopt a therapy schedule and self-help group to any patient’s specific circumstances. What kind of medication is abused by each person? The effect of Stimulants on withdrawals can be somewhat different from, for example, oral dosing

Another problem to remember is the sort of co-occurring illness involved when developing a recovery program and self-help group. Major depression is identified as having distinguished effects from bipolar disease or borderline personality disorder for a person’s mental health. One victim that experiences fear disorder., anxiety problems may be treated differently. 

People with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder often use medications or drink to calm their emotions, but this often makes them feel worst. Excessive drinking is like pouring fuel on a fire for several patients with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Members of the military who come back home from warfare, according to Psychiatric Times, have high rates of drug addiction. Drug abuse frequently coexists with other conditions like anxiety disorders like (PTSD), brain damage (T.B.I.), and injury-related pain. An individual with more than one disorder, like having mental health issues and addiction simultaneously, is said to suffer from a co-occurring disorder. This situation is additionally seldom called a dual-diagnosis. The disorders in dual diagnosis can make each other severe with the passage of time. The co-occurring disorders can be from the same family of disorders, or one can be from one family and another, as an individual suffering from a mental health disorder like Schizophrenia and A.D.D. Another individual is suffering from A.D.D. and alcohol addiction. All these cases are called co-occurring mental health disorders. It is believed that an individual who is the victim of one of the mental health disorders will get at least one more disorder like an addiction (in many cases), low energy, A.D.D. or ADHD etc. Thus, these people need self-help group.

Despite the danger lying ahead because of mental disorders, including drug abuse, isolation, unemployment for a long time, the break-up of relationships, self-destruction, and other related causes, they do not get the help they need. However, they need to seek psychiatric diagnosis, which can save them from the future dangerous and harmful effects of the disorders. Often, anxiety, rejection, and other related conditions do not allow patients who are currently suffering from mental illnesses to seek help from a psychiatrist. The same can be the case with Veteran military soldiers.  Robert H., who recovered and has been sober for more than seventeen years, has a similar experience. Yet, even after being sober and overcoming anxiety, something was not quite perfect. 

On the Heroes in Recovery portal, he says, “I got mad all the times. After that, I was diagnosed as having post-traumatic stress disorder. Since I left the military, I had been unintentionally self-medicating and self-help group. As a result, I passed the fifteen weeks of cognitive behavioural therapy. It was over a month ago. For four decades, my mind has been messed up. Yet I never consumed alcohol or relapsed during all of this.”  “Thanks to the twelve-step course, I’ve been sobered for 17 years,” Robert continues. And my wife and I have not broken up yet. It’s incredible.” 

In the meantime, Resick and friends agree there is also a lot of research to be conducted about how to better support military personnel with Post-traumatic stress disorder. They stated that “future studies should concentrate on particular problems present in military groups that can impair Post-traumatic stress disorder therapy.” “Complications such as recurrent anxiety, drug and alcohol addiction, traumatic brain injury, and sleeping problems as well as the potential impact of spiritual damage (an event that clashes with firmly held perceptions and opinions read more in this comprehensive foundation Recovery Network article with two Iraq vets) resulting from war trauma, are all areas that merit self-help group further investigation. 

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