Research is being conducted at the Long Beach Veterans Affairs Healthcare System on advancing psychotherapy outcomes for veterans suffering from combat-related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Led by Christopher Reist, MD, the PTSD research team is recruiting soldiers returning from deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan to participate in exposure based treatment to help alleviate the symptoms
associated with combat trauma. PTSD is an anxiety disorder which results from exposure to a traumatic or life-threatening event. Twenty years of PTSD treatment research has demonstrated that Prolonged Exposure (PE) is a very effective treatment in terms of positive outcomes for this disorder. In traditional PE, patients close their eyes and recount their trauma memory to the therapist. The current study being conducted at VALB, however, examines both traditional PE and PE enhanced by virtual reality (VR). Virtual reality therapy keeps the patients’ eyes open during the retelling of their traumatic event. The therapist enhances the “virtual environment” by incorporating sights and sounds through a headset that match the patient’s trauma story. Both treatments consist of 9 total individual therapy sessions lasting 90 minutes each. Additionally, patients participating in the study are randomly assigned to take either a low dose of D-Cycloserine (DCS; a broad-spectrum antibiotic) or a placebo pill prior to their weekly session to examine the effects of DCS on treatment. Previous studies have found that DCS is a useful pharmacological tool for the enhancement of learning. This study will test whether DCS can speed up the therapeutic response to PE. Thus, this treatment study combines psychological and pharmacological strategies with state of the art technology to address the symptoms associated with PTSD. PTSD symptoms will be assessed and monitored prior to beginning therapy, during the course of treatment, and at a 3-month follow-up session. Patients receive $350.00 total for assessment visits. To schedule a free evaluation or learn more about the study, please call (562) 826-5784.
