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Research Highlights
Drug treatment of older veterans with PTSD found to be 'conservative, cautious'
October 23, 2008
Investigators
with VA's New England Mental Illness Research, Education and
Clinical Center (MIRECC) analyzed the treatment records of nearly 245,000
veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder, all over age 45, and
found that most were prescribed an antidepressant, sedative or
antipsychotic drug. Medication therapy, however, tended to
decrease with age, especially when the treatment was provided at
VA mental health clinics, "perhaps reflecting the greater sensitivity
of specialists to the risks of elderly veterans." Overall, concluded
the authors, "Older veterans diagnosed with PTSD appear to
receive conservative, cautious treatment." The study did not
examine the use of other treatments, such as psychotherapy.
(American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, Oct. 2008)
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