Novel Therapies for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychological disorder that affects about 12 million Americans every year. The main treatments for PTSD are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). Although SSRIs have been shown to produce a response rate of about 60% in patients with PTSD, the complete remission rate is only about 20% to 30%. The SSRIs sertraline and paroxetine hydrochloride are the only two FDA-approved PTSD treat-ments, though they are highly outdated. PTSD is a widely misunderstood disorder that extends far beyond its classification as solely a psychiatric disorder. PTSD has been correlated with elevated levels of gene expression, an overactive immune system, and elevated levels of norepinephrine (NE), all of which contribute to physical and psychological symptoms. This systematic review aims to evaluate novel therapeutic approaches which can be used in concert with psychotherapy to further improve the symptoms of PTSD compared to current treatments.