Abstract

Reductions in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression among military service members were greater with an 8-week program of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) delivered over the Internet than with Internet-based supportive counseling. Of 24 patients randomly assigned to online CBT, 25% no longer had a PTSD diagnosis after treatment or at 6-month follow-up, compared to 5% after treatment and 3% at 6 months for those assigned to online supportive counseling. Litz et al. (CME, p. 1676) present details of DE-STRESS (DElivery of Self-TRaining and Education for Stressful Situations). Each patient had an initial face-to-face interview with a therapist and was allowed telephone and e-mail contacts during treatment. The web program included symptom ratings, CBT content, and homework assignments. Dr. Ruth Lanius relates these findings to the complexity of PTSD in an editorial on p. 1628. Adult Crime Preceded by Distinct Patterns of Childhood Psychopathology The early psychiatric profile most strongly related to severe or violent crime by young adults is the childhood occurrence, either separately or together, of an anxiety or depressive disorder and either substance abuse or conduct disorder. A population sample of 1,420 children in the Great Smoky Mountains Study were assessed from late childhood to