The position statement of the Working Group on the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorders in adults

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental distress that occurs after participation in traumatic events such as the experience of natural disaster, car accident, terrorist attack or armed conflict, being a victim of sexual assault, tortured, physically abused, traumatized or being in any other life-threatening situation. The trauma victim does not always have to be directly threatened with physical harm. The disorder may develop also as a result of an acute reaction to stress caused by participation in situation in which another person suffers so unimaginable that the further normal life of a witness becomes impossible. Patients are often convinced that they lose previous ability to exist irretrievably. Globally, PTSD is an increasingly recognized disorder. It can be predicted that in Europe, due to the ongoing war in Ukraine and the migration crisis, the frequency of severe disorders related to traumatic stress will systematically increase. In recent years, there has been a significant progress in knowledge and the development of methods for counteracting PTSD. The empirically confirmed forms of treatment include psychotherapeutic and pharmacotherapeutic interactions. The proposed recommendations were developed by a team of experts in the field of psychiatry, clinical psychology, psychotherapy, and primary care to present guidelines for therapeutic procedures in medical and psychological practice. The position statement of the working group was developed in line with evidence-based practice in a three-stage procedure including: literature review, the issue discussion and development of the unified expert position.