Brief intervention for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder with combined use of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing

Abstract This case study is of a 23 year old female diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in Sri Lanka, six months following the Asian Tsunami of December 2004. The intervention was conducted in a village clinic on the southern coast of the country. Treatment involved the use of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR). The Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) was used to monitor levels of anxiety. The Impact of Event Scale (IES) was administered to assess level of intrusion and avoidance (Horowitz, Wilner & Alvarez, 1979). Subjective Units of Distress Scores (SUDS) were obtained to assess level of distress and the Validity of Cognition Scale (VOC) used to assess accuracy of positive beliefs (Shapiro, 2001). A significant reduction in trauma symptoms, levels of distress, intrusion and avoidance were noted at post-treatment. Treatment gains were maintained at one month and nine month follow-up. The combined treatment protocol may be an effective brief intervention to use in situations that require rapid treatments to alleviate personal psychological distress in the aftermath of large scale disasters.