Advocates of Research-Supported Treatments for PTSD are Losing in Lots of Ways: What Are We Going to Do About It?, 2025, Cox et al

[forestglip]

Advocates of Research-Supported Treatments for PTSD are Losing in Lots of Ways: What Are We Going to Do About It?
Keith S. Cox, R. Trent Codd, III

Abstract
Most individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) do not receive science-based treatment. This is a massive problem and the systems and individuals best able to address it misunderstand key components of the problem.

Advocates of Research Supported Treatments (ARSTs) have substantial influence/authority in federal agencies, university settings, and medical centers and limited influence/authority with the public at large and with many providers, especially those in private practice settings.

Figures such as Bessel van der Kolk and Peter Levine, who are not consistently science-based, have limited influence in government and research settings and enormous influence with the public and many individual providers. We see such figures as a main contributor to the problem.

We consider four responses, (1) ARST collective action, (2) aim to reduce influence of non-ARSTs, (3) dialogue with non-ARSTs, and (4) maintain current practices. We argue for prioritizing ARST collective action. This could increase usage of high-quality PTSD treatment.

Link | PDF (Research on Social Work Practice) [Open Access]

----

Requested to be posted by @Andy on behalf of another member.

 

[bobbler]

It is perhaps unfortunate wording as I have no idea whether the term science-based treatment is covering something genuinely good or you know like the trojan horse the term evidence-based is.

But are we at the point now where those with all the power in relationships are trying to also steal-by-trojan-horse some position of 'victim' or customer or patient by using the term 'advocates'

as if they are those having the treatment imposed on them or being left with crap support and neglect would normally be the ones who have 'advocate' as a term being used

not those trying to sell their wares.


Even if these people are doing this 'in the name of' the end-users ie some of them might be end-users themselves who are advocating for treatment to not just be made-up stuff, then it probably needs to be underlined in both their name and their governance to ensure that it doesn't become something else (eg taken over by people thinking what they offer is science, but not including any end-users)

I think it is a dangerous precedent when terms are inaccurately used so that something normally used to indicate 'representing the side with the least power and subject to all the consequences' might be used by the other side thereby misleading those who don't look into it carefully.

If it really is just about those who are working in science-based treatment then there are plenty of other terms they can use, like lobby or campaign or organisation for.


It just reminds me of the 'sense about science' type switch-and-bait

 

[rvallee]

science-based treatment

And what would those be like?

These guidelines based on the summative knowledge of over 350 clinical trials designate three first-line PTSD treatments: Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Eye Movement and Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and Prolonged Exposure (PE). We consider these treatments to be RSTs.

RST is research-supported treatment. I'm not sure if they mean the same thing as science-based treatment, but I assume so. I don't really feel like going any further than this, it feels entirely pointless. No blood has ever been squeezed out of this stone, but by god they will keep on finding new and identical ways to squeeze nothing out of it until the end of time.

 

[Snow Leopard]

It is perhaps unfortunate wording as I have no idea whether the term science-based treatment is covering something genuinely good or you know like the trojan horse the term evidence-based is.

Well the cited "not science-based" Bessel van der Kolk are bad pseudoscientific writers. The former wrote the junk book "The Body Keeps the Score", and the latter of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somatic_experiencing fame, and wrote his thesis on how stress causes symptoms. https://www.proquest.com/openview/2...b4b60/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750&diss=y

So given those examples I'm willing to provide them some rope.