Trauma-focused Psychological Interventions for Difficult-to-Treat Psychiatric Disorders

Difficult-to-treat psychiatric disorders, such as complex PTSD, chronic or treatment-resistant depression, and treatment-resistant anxiety disorders, often present significant challenges in psychotherapeutic treatment. These disorders are characterized by persistent symptoms, high comorbidity rates, and often a history of trauma or childhood adversity.

Existing treatment approaches, including trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), EMDR, and schema therapy, have demonstrated efficacy for many individuals. However, a substantial proportion of patients experience residual symptoms, treatment dropout, or non-response, highlighting the need for novel or adapted approaches. Factors contributing to treatment resistance may include:

- Neurobiological and Psychological Complexity: Altered stress regulation, emotional dysregulation, and maladaptive coping mechanisms can interfere with therapeutic progress.

- Chronicity and Comorbidity: Long-standing trauma histories often intersect with personality disorders, dissociation, or substance use, complicating treatment.

- Therapeutic Engagement and Alliance: Patients with histories of interpersonal trauma may struggle with trust and difficulties in forming interpersonal bonds, leading to a challenges in forming and maintaining the therapeutic alliance.

- Treatment Accessibility and Adaptation: Standardized treatments may require adaptation to specific populations, including those with cognitive impairments or culturally diverse backgrounds.

This Research Topic aims to explore and evaluate emerging psychological interventions, personalized treatment approaches, and mechanisms that contribute to therapeutic effectiveness in trauma-related psychiatric disorders. Investigating novel methodologies, integrating neurobiological insights, and refining treatment engagement strategies may enhance outcomes for this challenging patient group.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• ... View all formats

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Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review

Keywords: trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, schema therapy, difficult-to-treat psychiatric disorders, treatment-resistant depression, treatment-resistant anxiety disorders

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.