A recent study in the American Journal of Psychiatry reviews therapist-assisted, Internet-based, self-management cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for service members with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This protocol was compared with Internet-based supportive counseling for PTSD. Both groups used websites, homework assignments, and educational information concerning PTSD. The authors found that the CBT protocol led to “sharper declines in daily log-on ratings of PTSD symptoms and global depression” in addition to other symptom reduction; these improvements were also noted at 6 months. The authors state that this protocol “may be a way of delivering effective treatment to large numbers with unmet needs and barriers to care.”
Study authors: B. T. Litz, C. C. Engel, R. A. Bryant, A. Papa