Guided, internet-based interventions for post-traumatic stress disorder

The STOP-PTSD trial 1 Ehlers A Wild J Warnock-Parkes E et al. Therapist-assisted online psychological therapies differing in trauma focus for post-traumatic stress disorder (STOP-PTSD): a UK-based, single-blind, randomised controlled trial. Lancet Psychiatry. 2023; 10: 608-622 Google Scholar strengthens existing evidence that guided, internet-based, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) with a trauma focus is an effective treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). 2 Lewis C Roberts NP Simon N Bethell A Bisson JI Internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder: systematic review and meta-analysis. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2019; 140: 508-521 Crossref PubMed Scopus (36) Google Scholar , 3 Simon N Robertson L Lewis C et al. Internet-based cognitive and behavioural therapies for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2021; 5CD011710 PubMed Google Scholar , 4 Bisson JI Ariti C Cullen K et al. Guided, internet based, cognitive behavioural therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder: pragmatic, multicentre, randomised controlled non-inferiority trial (RAPID). BMJ. 2022; 377e069405 PubMed Google Scholar The study found that internet-based cognitive therapy for PTSD (iCT-PTSD) was superior to a similarly delivered non-trauma focused intervention, internet-based stress management therapy for PTSD (iStress-PTSD). 1 Ehlers A Wild J Warnock-Parkes E et al. Therapist-assisted online psychological therapies differing in trauma focus for post-traumatic stress disorder (STOP-PTSD): a UK-based, single-blind, randomised controlled trial. Lancet Psychiatry. 2023; 10: 608-622 Google Scholar This finding complements the RAPID study's finding that Spring, another guided, internet-based CBT with a trauma focus that we developed, was non-inferior to face-to-face CBT with a trauma focus for the treatment of PTSD. 4 Bisson JI Ariti C Cullen K et al. Guided, internet based, cognitive behavioural therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder: pragmatic, multicentre, randomised controlled non-inferiority trial (RAPID). BMJ. 2022; 377e069405 PubMed Google Scholar The results of STOP-PTSD and RAPID have resulted in the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) Early Value Assessment Guidance recommending iCT-PTSD and Spring as digitally enabled treatments for PTSD. These treatments join seven other digitally enabled interventions recommended by NICE for the treatment of common mental conditions in May, 2023. 5 National Institute for Health and Care ExcellenceDigitally enabled therapies for adults with anxiety disorders: early value assessment. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/hte9Date: 2023 Date accessed: June 28, 2023 Google Scholar , 6 National Institute for Health and Care ExcellenceDigitally enabled therapies for adults with depression: early value assessment. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/hte8Date: 2023 Date accessed: June 28, 2023 Google Scholar Therapist-assisted online psychological therapies differing in trauma focus for post-traumatic stress disorder (STOP-PTSD): a UK-based, single-blind, randomised controlled trialTrauma-focused iCT-PTSD is effective and acceptable to patients with PTSD, and superior to a non-trauma-focused cognitive behavioural stress management therapy, suggesting that iCT-PTSD is an effective way of delivering the contents of CT-PTSD, one of the NICE-recommended first-line treatments for PTSD, while reducing therapist time compared with face-to-face therapy. Full-Text PDF Open Access