Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia and Imagery Rehearsal in Combat Veterans with Comorbid Posttraumatic Stress: A Case Series.
Military behavioral health January 1, 2016 Todd M Bishop, Peter C Britton, Kerry L Knox et al.
Disrupted sleep is common among combat veterans and can worsen responses to mental health treatments. In a case-series trial, 14 combat veterans diagnosed with insomnia and experiencing posttraumatic stress or depression received cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) combined with imagery rehearsal therapy (IRT) for nightmares. After treatment, veterans showed clinically significant improvements in sleep and statistically significant reductions in insomnia, nightmare, depression, and posttraumatic stress severity. Combined CBT-I and IRT appears to be a promising treatment for combat-related trauma and psychiatric morbidity.