Researchers: Marion Eakin, MD, Pauline McHugh, MD, Kathlene Tracy, PhD and others

Over the past 12 years, the NYHHS has developed a comprehensive clinical treatment program for veterans with PTSD including veterans with PTSD and co-occurring disorders such as substance use disorders and other psychiatric disorders. Currently serving an ethnically diverse population of more than one thousand veterans, this individualized outpatient treatment program is coordinated by a specialized interdisciplinary team including social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, and primary care clinicians. Treatment includes skills and psychotherapy group treatments, individualized psychotherapies and counseling, and psychopharmacologic management. Prospective longitudinal data on this population are gathered through the periodic administration of a battery of standardized assessments to clinic patients. In the context of this rich clinical setting there are a number of ongoing and developing research programs to better understand and treat PTSD. These include behavioral treatments to address PTSD and substance use disorders, studies to address the co-occurrence of ADHD in patients with PTSD, an investigation of the impact of PTSD on emotional memory and a planned study on the alpha-blocker prazosin on the nightmares and the startle response in patients with PTSD. There is also a strong interest in new or novel psychopharmacological agents for PTSD and its symptoms. See also “Developing Mind Body Center” and list of ongoing studies.

Current Clinical Studies