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NC PTSD: trauma-focused psychotherapy, medications and decision tools help people recover from PTSD
Summary
Dr. Rebecca Mateo described trauma-focused therapies (cognitive processing therapy, prolonged exposure, EMDR), medications (SSRIs/SNRIs), and the center's treatment decision aid and mobile apps that support recovery and shared decision-making.
Dr. Rebecca Mateo urged attendees to share the message that effective PTSD treatments exist and that people do recover. "There are PTSD treatments that work, and you don't have to live with PTSD," she said, adding that treatment outcomes often appear within weeks to months.
She named the trauma-focused psychotherapies with the strongest evidence: cognitive processing therapy, prolonged exposure, and EMDR. "Trauma focused psychotherapy or talk therapy is the most effective treatment," she said, and described other approaches under study (e.g., written exposure therapy and present-centered therapy). She also noted medications (SSRIs/SNRIs) such as sertraline (Zoloft) and venlafaxine (Effexor) as options that have demonstrated benefit.
To help people choose, the center offers an online PTSD treatment decision aid that lets users compare treatments by priority and print summaries to share with providers. Dr. Mateo described short animated videos and app-based treatment companions (PTSD Coach and PTSD Family Coach) designed to support patients during therapy assignments and between sessions.
