Application of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) on severe posttraumatic stress disorder following a single traumatic event in elderly psychiatric patients

Single traumatic events can lead to severe posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with serious effects on some and psyche as well as on social functioning. Often our focus in diagnostics is limited on obvious traumatic experiences according to the ICD-10 or DSM-IV criteria of what a traumatic event should be. But trauma can be variant or masked by somatic illness or comorbid psychiatric disorder. Beside the straightforward PTSD cases, the clinician should pay attention to comorbidity and the effect of dysfunctionally stored, incompletely processed information in a variety of patients. PTSD seems to be underdiagnosed in elderly patients. This paper, as part of the symposium on the treatment of single traumatic events using EMDR, has it foundation in clinical practice and gives evidence on the importance if diagnosing for PTSD and applying appropriate treatment especially EMDR, in the subgroup of elderly patients. Two case examples of PTSD following a single traumatic event in the course of depressive illness and the course somatic illness illustrate important principles and give evidence of the successful application of EMDR in the treatment of PTSD following a single traumatic event with elderly patients. The guidelines for good clinical practice in the treatment of PSTD following a single traumatic event regarding EMDR standard protocol and procedural rules will be outlines. In some respects EMDR treatment has to be adapted to the special demands of the elderly. Some ideas will be formulated and discussed. The aim of the presentation is to encourage the clinician in engaging in active treatment of the sequelae of single traumatic events in general and specially to apply EMDR with elderly patients, hereby stimulating research on the application of EMDR with the elderly, a hitherto often neglected subgroup of patients.

Conference

English

Michael Hase

Hase, M. (2004, June). Application of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) on severe posttraumatic stress disorder following a single traumatic event in elderly psychiatric patients. In single trauma and grief (L. Cornil, Chair). Symposium conducted at the 5th EMDR Europe Association Conference, Stockholm, Sweden