Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Application Of Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment For Long-Standing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder In Law Enforcement Personnel, Tara L. Cornelius, Rita Kenyon-Jump

Peer Reviewed Articles

The development and maintenance of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be understood as a function of learning and cognitive processes. This case report addresses treatment of PTSD with a 72-year-old former police officer who was experiencing intrusive thoughts, nightmares, experiential and affective avoidance, and hyperarousal resulting from witnessing a series of traumatic events during his time in law enforcement. Although the latency between events and treatment was more than 20 years, this patient was responsive to a cognitive-behavioral, exposure-based treatment. Several other factors, including the client’s age and chronic pain, complicated this case. The aim of this study was …