A Practical Guide to PTSD Treatment

Nancy C. Bernardy, PhD, is a biological and clinical research psychologist who has served for the past 6 years as the director of the PTSD Mentoring Program for the Executive Division of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' National Center for PTSD. She also serves as an associate director for clinical networking at the center. She is an assistant professor of psychiatry at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. Dr. Bernardy has 20 years of experience as a clinician and researcher, with approximately 35 publications. She is a member of APA and the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, and she serves on numerous national research, education, and policy committees for the Department of Veterans Affairs. Matthew J. Friedman, MD, PhD, served for 25 years as executive director of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' National Center for PTSD. He recently stepped down to become a senior advisor to the center. In addition, he is a professor of psychiatry and of pharmacology and toxicology at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. He has more than 40 years of experience as a clinician and researcher, with approximately 300 publications, including 27 books. Dr. Friedman is a Distinguished Lifetime Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, past president of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, chair of the American Psychiatric Association's DSM5 PTSD Work Group, and chair of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America. He has served on many national research, education, and policy committees. Past honors include the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999 and Public Advocacy Award in 2009. Dr. Friedman was a finalist for the 2011 Samuel J. Heyman Service to America Medal.

Contributors Introduction Nancy C. Bernardy and Matthew J. Friedman I. Scientific Background and Assessment The Human Stress Response Matthew J. Friedman The Emerging Scientific and Clinical Literature on Resilience and Psychological First Aid Steven Southwick and Patricia Watson Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Patient Interview, Clinical Assessment, and Diagnosis Brian P. Marx and Cassidy A. Gutner II. Pharmacological and Psychotherapeutic Approaches Antidepressant Strategies in the Management of PTSD Nancy C. Bernardy and Matthew J. Friedman The Use of Anxiolytics in the Management of PTSD Nancy C. Bernardy, Tasha Souter, and Matthew J. Friedman Atypical Antipsychotics and Anticonvulsants in the Treatment of PTSD: Treatment Options That Include Cognitive Behavioral Therapies Matthew D. Jeffreys Cognitive Behavioral Therapies for PTSD Tara E. Galovski and Chelsea Gloth III. Comorbid Disorders and Unique Presentations PTSD and Insomnia Jason C. DeViva and Bruce Capehart Co-Occurring Substance Use Disorders and PTSD Andrew J. Saxon and Tracy L. Simpson Treating PTSD in Older Adults Joan M. Cook, Ahsan Naseem, and Steven R. Thorp Challenging Presentations in PTSD Tonya Masino and Sonya Norman Index About the Editors