Treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder with eye movement desensitization and reprocessing: Outcome is stable in 35-month follow-up

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that may follow major psychological trauma. The disorder is longstanding, even chronic, and there is a need for effective treatment. Short-term, the most effective treatments are cognitive behavioural therapy and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). Twenty subjects with chronic PTSD following occupational health hazards from “person under train” accidents or assault at work were treated with five sessions of EMDR. They were assessed with psychometric scales and diagnostic interviews before treatment, directly after treatment, at eight months and at 35 months after end of therapy. The primary outcome variable was full diagnosis of PTSD according to the DSM-IV diagnostic criteria. Results from interview-based and self-evaluation psychometric scales were used as secondary outcome variables. Immediately post treatment, the patients were divided up into two groups, initial remitters (12 of 20) and one of non-remitters (8 of 20). There were no drop-outs during therapy, but three patients withdrew during follow-up. The initial results were maintained at the 35 months follow-up. The secondary outcome variables also showed a significant immediate change towards normality that was stable during the long-term follow-up. After three years follow-up, 83% of initial remitters had full working capacity.