Сognitive-behavioral treatment in: posttraumatic stress disorder

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common reaction to traumatic events. Many people recover in the several months after trigger event, but in a significant subgroup the symptoms persist, often for years. Basic assumptions of integrative cognitive model proposed for stress symptoms chronification (Ehlers A., Clark D., 2000) are presented in the current article. It is suggested that PTSD becomes persistent when individuals process the trauma in a way that leads to a sense of serious threat: 1) excessively negative appraisals of the trauma and its sequelae; 2) a disturbance of autobiographical memory characterised by strong associative bonds; 3) problematic behavioural and cognitive strategies of coping; 4) previous trauma experience and cognitive schemas. Basic cognitive-behavioral strategies in PTSD treatment are outlined.

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