PTSD: Treating Invisible Wounds Through Different Treatment Modalities General Guidelines for Creating an Effective Poster Posters need to be read by attendees from a distance of 3 feet or more, so lettering on illustrations should be large and legible. The title should be in very large type, 84 pt. or larger. Do NOT use all capitals for titles and headings. It makes them hard to read. Text on panels should be between 18 and 24 pt. to be legible. Use double or 1.5 spacing between lines of text. Keep each panel relatively short and to the point. More than 25 lines won't get read, but 15 to 18 usually will. Framing the text by putting a box around it will also help readers to focus. Choose a simple font such as Times, Helvetica or Prestige Elite and stick with it. Avoid overuse of outlining and shadowing, it can be distracting. To make something stand out, use a larger font size, bold or underline instead. Whenever possible, use graphs, charts, tables, figures, pictures or lists instead of text to get your points across. Make sure your presentation flows in a logical sequence. It should have an introduction, body and conclusion, just like any other presentation. Posters don’t need to be "arty". Simplicity, ease of reading, etc., are more important than artistic flair. In a room full of posters, consider the visual impact your presentation needs to make in order to attract readers. Use colors behind panels to increase contrast and impact, but avoid fluorescent colors which will make things hard to read when someone gets closer. Consider bringing extra copies of your data and conclusions. Erica Denner, MSW Candidate GRC MSW Program Abstract Data Historical PTSD Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a diagnosis that is common among people that have experienced, in some fashion, a traumatic event. Reviewing the history of PTSD, it is concluded that the diagnosis is still relatively new compared to other diagnoses in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (2013). In this article, we aim to review the professional literature that synthesizes the effectiveness of common treatment modalities for PTSD in soldiers that have been in combat. The specific treatment approaches to be reviewed include Cognitive Processing Therapy, Art Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, and Prolonged Exposure Therapy. The American Psychiatric Association identified within the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, that “Among U.S. military personnel and combat veterans who have been deployed to recent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, co-occurrence of PTSD and mild TBI is 48%” (2013, p. 280) However, “… a review of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care utilization covering the last 10 years, indicates PTSD was the most prevalent psychiatric disorder with approximately 217,000 cases.”(Wolf et. Al, 2015, p.339) In a study on efficaciousness of Prolonged Exposure Therapy, “95.5% of participants demonstrated a reliable reduction in PCL scores, whereas 86.4% demonstrated a clinically significant change on the PCL.” (Wolf et. Al, 2015, p. 344) Garske explains that Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors such as Zoloft and Paxil have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to treat PTSD symptomology (2011, p. 33). Garske identifies that the more combat a soldier sees, the more likey they are to gain a PTSD diagnosis. He states that five or more fire fights will make a soldier 20% more likely to get the diagnosis (2011, p. 32) Traumatic Neurosis Gross Stress Reaction War Neurosis Combat Fatigue Shell Shock Soldier’s Heart Interventions PTSD Diagnosis Cognitive Processing Therapy- Manualized treatment modality consisting of 12 sessions to challenge a person’s distorted thinking and negative beliefs about themselves, the world and other people. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing-According to Sharpless and Barber, “EMDR is a structured and manualized treatment that combines elements of CBT, mindfulness, body-based approaches, and person-centered therapies.” (2011, p. 10) Art Therapy- Art therapy is used to access parts of the brain that become inhibited during traumatic events. The process can bridge the gap between emotions, thoughts and words. Prolonged Exposure Therapy- Manualized treatment made up of sections of exposure to avoided triggers and verbalized account of trauma. Client will learn about symptoms and the treatment process. The therapist will teach grounding techniques. According to the American Psychiatric Association in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), A person must experience “exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence in one or more of the following ways…” (2013, p. 271). They have to experience this first hand, either it happens to them or they witness it, it happened to a friend or family member, or exposure to repeated traumatic events. Next a person must experience one or more intrusion symptoms. These could include, but are not limited too, dreams, intrusive thoughts, flashbacks. Must be avoidant of triggering external or internal stimuli. Negative changes with cognitions or mood. Changes in arousal or reactivity. These could include, but are not limited to, reckless behavior, angry outburst, and hypervigilance. Symptoms must last longer than one month and must cause impairment in social settings, home, or occupation. Cannot be the result of substance use. References Please see attached reference page.