Sunday, October 21, 2007

Evidence unclear on treating US veterans' stress

Many U.S. combat veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are clearly suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder but it is not at all clear which treatments work to help them, an Institute of Medicine panel said on Thursday.

The only therapies that have been shown to work are so-called exposure therapies, in which people are guided in a gradual, step-by-step confrontation with a fear or stressor, the expert committee said.

"At this time, we can make no judgment about the effectiveness of most psychotherapies or about any medications in helping patients with PTSD," said Dr. Alfred Berg of the University of Washington in Seattle.

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