The investigators are testing novel treatments for combat PTSD: bright light exposure and negation ion exposure.
Seventy Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF)/Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) Veterans with posttraumatic stress disorders (PTSD) will be randomly assigned to one of two 4-week treatments (45 min/day): (1) bright light exposure or (2) a negative ion generator. Clinical assessments ,as well as self-reported measures of PTSD, anxiety, depression, and sleep will be assessed
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
71
Administered via bright light box
Administered via Negative Ion Generatore
Wm. Jennings Bryan Dorn VA Medical Center, Columbia, SC
Columbia, Arizona, United States
Clinical Assessed PTSD Scale (CAPS-2)
The CAPS-2 is administered by a trained clinician. It is designed to assess changes in PTSD severity over time, the scale ranges from 0-136. Higher levels indicate greater severity of PTSD.
Time frame: Mean change from baseline to post-treatment (5-6 weeks later)
Clinical Global Impressions Scale (CGI)
The CGI assesses baseline severity on a 7-point scale, and change on 7-point scale. (1=normal; 4=moderately ill; 7= among the most severely ill). Change: 1=very much improved, 2=much improved, 3=minimally improved, 4=no change, 5=minimally worse, 6=much worse, 7=very much worse
Time frame: Baseline severity to post-treatment (4 weeks later) Change
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL-M)
Self-rated PTSD scale with 17 items (rated 1-5) with range of 17-85. Higher score = worse severity of PTSD. Reported are decreases from baseline to end-of-study.
Time frame: Baseline to following 4-week treatment
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