Toward a definition of treatment-resistant posttraumatic stress disorder: a systematic review

LAY SUMMARY Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious mental health condition, and for some individuals, standard treatments such as medication or therapy do not lead to significant improvement. When PTSD remains unresponsive to treatment, it is referred to as treatment-resistant PTSD (TR-PTSD). The goal of this review is to examine how TR-PTSD is defined in the literature and to assess the varying criteria used across studies. The authors analysed 55 research articles that included patients identified as having TR-PTSD. They found considerable variation in how studies defined TR-PTSD, highlighting the lack of a standardized framework. This inconsistency underscores the need for further research to establish clear criteria for defining treatment resistance in PTSD. Developing a well-defined and widely accepted definition of TR-PTSD is essential to improve patient care, guide clinicians in selecting appropriate therapies, and advance research into more effective treatments. Future studies and clinical trials are necessary to refine these definitions and create a standardized model that can be used across research and clinical settings.