title: Randomized clinical trial of brief eclectic psychotherapy for police officers with posttraumatic stress disorder.
abstract: The authors report on a randomized, controlled clinical trial on the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), comparing manualized psychotherapy to wait-list control. This is the first study to evaluate Brief Eclectic Psychotherapy (BEP), which combines cognitive-behavioral and psychodynamic approaches within one treatment method. Forty-two police officers with the diagnosis of PTSD participated in the study; 22 were randomly assigned to the treatment group and 20 to the wait-list control group. Assessments of PTSD and comorbid conditions were made 1 week before treatment, after treatment session 4, upon termination of treatment (16 sessions), and at follow-up 3 months later. As expected, no significant differences between groups were observed at pretest or at session 4. At posttest and at follow-up, BEP had produced significant improvement in PTSD, in work resumption, and in some comorbid conditions.
authors.affiliation: Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Department of Psychiatry, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: B P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Gersons
authors.forename: I V
authors.initials: IV
authors.lastname: Carlier
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Lamberts
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: van der Kolk
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D016495:Police; D011614:Psychotherapy, Brief / Q000379:methods*; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000628:therapy*