The efficacy of Trauma Management Therapy: A controlled pilot investigation of a three-week intensive outpatient program for combat-related PTSD

•One hundred and twelve (112) veterans and active duty personnel with combat PTSD were treated with Trauma Management Therapy (TMT) in an intensive three week outpatient program.•TMT includes individual virtual reality assisted exposure therapy and group treatment to assess anger, depression and social isolation.•Assessment of outcome included core PTSD symptomatology as well as changes in depression, anger, guilt, sleep, and depression.•There were no negative or iatrogenic effects resulting from this intensive outpatient program.•At posttreatment, 65.9% of patients no longer met diagnostic criteria for PTSD.•All results were maintained at 6 month follow-up.

Despite the 8-18.5% of returning Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation New Dawn (OND) veterans who are suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), few receive empirically supported treatments. Among those that do, the dropout rate is high and more than 50% retain their diagnosis after treatment. This study evaluated the efficacy of Trauma Management Therapy (TMT), delivered in a 3-week intensive outpatient (IOP) format. TMT combines virtual-reality augmented individual exposure therapy with a group intervention to address social isolation, anger, and depression. One hundred twelve (112) OIF/OEF/OND veterans and active duty personnel participated. Assessment included measures of PTSD, sleep, depression, anger, guilt, and social isolation, administered at post-treatment, 3-month, and 6-month follow-up. The effect size for TMT delivered in an IOP format was 2.06, with 65.9% no longer meeting diagnostic criteria for PTSD. There were similar positive effects in other domains and treatment gains were maintained at 6-month follow-up. The results are discussed regarding the need for efficacious, multi-component interventions that can be delivered safely and rapidly, and the potential of this approach towards that end.