Integrating treatment for alcohol use problems and comorbid PTSD

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Comorbid alcohol use problems and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are common mental health problems that cause disability and distress. Despite this, there are few randomized controlled trials of interventions. The proposed study is the first Australian randomised controlled trial in this field to address the question of whether treating PTSD and alcohol use problems is superior to treating alcohol use problems alone. The study compares the relative efficacy of a manual guided treatment for alcohol use disorder alone with a simultaneous treatment for alcohol use and PTSD. This study improves on the methodological limitations described in the two existing studies reported in the published literature. Two-hundred and sixty four participants will be recruited from mutiple sites (media, GPs, specialist clinics) and treated in the community at two sites in Sydney. Participants will be eligible if they consume harmful levels of alcohol (NHMRC risky or high risk levels) and have a concurrent diagnosis of PTSD based on recognised diagnostic criteria. Treatment will consist of 16 sessions of manual guided individual psychological therapy that has been found to be very efficacious with each problem alone. The efficacy of treatment will be determined on the basis of reductions in harmful drinking (above NHMRC low risk levels) and in symptoms of PTSD. Participants will be followed up by an independent, blind, clinician three and six months after treatment completion. The findings of this study have the potential to provide valuable information regarding the treatment needs of people with these complex presentations to clinicians and policy developers alike.