Clinical Observations in the Treatment of World War II and Korean War Veterans with Combat-Related PTSD

This paper provides a descriptive evaluation of group therapy for older combat veterans with severe, chronic Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Eight older combat veterans with PTSD participated in a long-term supportive/cognitive-behavioral therapy group. Self-report measures of psychiatric symptomatology taken at baseline and two years hence revealed no significant changes. These findings contrasted with clinician observation and informal family report, which indicated significant improvement in ability to manage symptoms, social functioning, and quality of life. Reports of improvement, despite lack of indication in outcome measures, are noted in two other reports of psychological treatment of PTSD in older veterans. Taken together, these independent clinical investigations suggest a shift in focus and outcome solely from amelioration of PTSD symptoms to include optimization of function, minimization of disability, or improvement in quality of life.