Teletherapy for the Treatment of PTSD

Many of us seek professional mental health treatment at some point in our lives to cope with life issues and problems, such as depression, anxiety, grief, loss of a loved one, loss of a job, marital problems, phobias, eating disorders, substance abuse, and more. Most therapy sessions are conducted face-to-face; however, it may also be helpful to have psychotherapy through teleconference, according to new research. A recent study examined the effectiveness of teletherapy (therapy through teleconference) for the treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) may occur after someone either witnesses or experiences a traumatic event including, but not limited to: a car accident, a sexual assault, combat, or a natural disaster. PTSD is characterized by several symptoms, including: intrusive recollections of the traumatic event that are distressing, nightmares of the event, physiological reactions and/or psychological distress to reminders of the event, and flashbacks (feeling like the event is taking place again). In addition, individuals with PTSD try to avoid reminders of the event by attempting to avoid people, places, conversations, thoughts, feelings, and activities that remind the person of the event. Individuals with PTSD may also possess an inability to recall important details of the event and/or feel detached from others. Individuals who experience PTSD also possess symptoms of hyperarousal, which may include: outbursts of anger or irritability, an exaggerated startle response, sleeping difficulties, difficulty concentrating, and/or hypervigilence. In order for a diagnosis of PTSD be made, these symptoms must persist for at least one month in duration.

Treatment for PTSD is typically done face-to-face; however, this recent study examined if teletherapy would be as effective as face-to-face therapy. Dr. Stephane Guay, a psychiatry professor at the University of Montreal, recruited 17 individuals who were from the Outaouis area and suffered from PTSD to participate in treatment via teleconference with Montreal therapists. Dr. Guay also recruited individuals suffering from PTSD to participate in traditional face-to-face therapy, which acted as a control group. Each individual in the study underwent 16-25 teletherapy or face-to-face sessions before his or her symptoms were reevaluated. It should be noted, however, that those who received teletherapy were required to go to a hospital to receive it. Dr. Guay asserts, "Post-traumatic stress therapies require that a patient relieves certain traumatic events and should they become uncomfortable it is mandatory that someone be there to intervene."

Dr. Guay discovered that individuals who received teletherapy and individuals who received face-to-face therapy equally benefited from their treatments. Dr. Guay states, "The same number of patients in both groups saw a significant decrease in their post-traumatic stress, depression, and anxiety symptoms. In fact, 75 to 80 percent overcame their chronic post-traumatic stress."

In addition, individuals who received therapy via teleconference reported they did not feel uncomfortable with the technological aspects of the treatment nor were they affected by how far away their therapists were.

It appears that teletherapy may be a viable treatment option for individuals suffering from PTSD in the future. However, given the small number of participants in this study, more research will need to take place before teletherapy becomes a widely used treatment tool.

If you would like to learn more about PTSD, you may visit the National Institute for Mental Health's page on the condition. You may learn more about this study by visiting Psych Central.

Sources:

Psych Central: TeleTherapy for PTSD Found Effective:
http://psychcentral.com/news/2010/03/24/teletherapy-for-ptsd-found-effective/12351.html

National Institute of Mental Health: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder:
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/index.shtml