Thursday, Oct. 27
15:45 – 16:45 (1 hr)
Meeting Room: Chestnut (Mezzanine)
Michael Armanyous*, MBBCH; Kathryn Trottier, PhD

CanMEDS Roles:

1. Communicator
2. Scholar
3. Medical Expert

At the end of this session, participants will be able to: 1) Become familiar with the theory and research  examining the relation between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or trauma and other common psychiatric disorders; 2) Gain a practical understanding of cognitive-behavioural formulation of co-occurring PTSD and other psychiatric disorders; and 3) Gain a practical understanding of clinical considerations and strategies for using evidence-based and trauma-specific treatments with co-occurring PTSD and eating disorders and PTSD and substance use disorders.

The association between exposure to traumatic events and development of several psychiatric disorders has been well established. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) commonly co-occurs with anxiety disorders, substance use disorders (SUDs), and eating disorders (EDs). (Brady et al., 2000; McGovern et al., 2009) Advancements in understanding the core psychological processes underpinning those comorbidities — in addition to the rise of evidence supporting cognitive-behavioural therapies (CBTs) — have paved the way for successful development of integrated treatment approaches, the aim of which is to enable people to recover from both comorbid disorders. One recent example is integrating cognitive- processing therapy (CPT) for PTSD with CBT for EDs. The likelihood of interaction between symptoms of the two disorders suggests that ED symptoms need to be considered when providing PTSD treatment to people with co-occurring PTSD and EDs and vice versa. This workshop will focus on practical implications for assessing and treating PTSD or trauma-related symptoms and common PTSD comorbidities, using insights gained from emerging research on integrated treatment for EDs and PTSD.

The workshop will do the following: 1) briefly review theory and research on the relations among trauma, PTSD, and other common psychiatric disorders; 2) address clinical considerations, assessment, and intervention strategies for using evidence-based PTSD treatment, namely CPT; and 3) review key findings from recent trials of integrated treatment approaches for EDs and PTSD, and SUDs and PTSD.

References:

1. Trottier K, Monson CM. Integrating cognitive processing therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder with cognitive behavioral therapy for eating disorders in PROJECT RECOVER. Eat Disord 2021;29:3:307–25.
2. Vujanovic AA, Smith LJ, Green CE, et al. Development of a novel, integrated cognitive-behavioral therapy for co-occurring posttraumatic stress and substance use disorders: a pilot randomized clinical trial. Contemp Clin Trials 2018;65:123–9.