A Review of Major Treatment Approaches and Their Therapeutic Effects for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common mental health issue that poses considerable challenges to both patients' personal lives and the public health system. This article sorts out the main treatment methods for PTSD and evaluates the actual effects of these methods in current clinical treatment. The central focus of the research is to integrate the current research evidence related to psychotherapy, pharmacological treatments, neuromodulation techniques, and emerging digital and artificial intelligence interventions, with the aim of comparing their respective advantages and disadvantages. This study employed a narrative literature review and comparative analysis approach to systematically disintegrate the results of randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews of PTSD patients in different clinical contexts. Research has found that trauma-focused psychotherapy is stable and consistent in alleviating the core symptoms of PTSD, while pharmacological treatments mainly play an auxiliary role in the relief of specific symptoms. Neuromodulation and digital therapy have shown certain potential as auxiliary or early intervention methods, but the relevant research evidence is still relatively limited. Overall, this study emphasizes the importance of adopting integrated and individualized treatment strategies, and points out that future research should further optimize treatment combinations and focus on long-term treatment effects.