Objective: To examine the treatment outcome of an intensive trauma-focused treatment program for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in older and younger adults. Methods: A non-randomized outcome study was conducted with 62 consecutively admitted older PTSD patients (60–78 years) and 62 younger PTSD patients (19–58 years), matched on gender and availability of follow-up data. Patients participated in an intensive eight-day trauma-focused treatment program consisting of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), prolonged exposure (PE), physical activity, and group psycho-education. PTSD symptom severity (Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale-5 (CAPS-5)) was assessed, at pre- and post-treatment, and for a subsample (n = 31 older; n = 31 younger patients) at six-month follow-up. Results: A repeated-measures ANCOVA (centered CAPS pre-treatment score as covariate) indicated a significant decrease in CAPS-5-scores from pre- to post-treatment for the total sample (partial η2 = 0.808). The treatment outcome was not significantly different across age groups (partial η2 = 0.002). There were no significant differences in treatment response across age groups for the follow-up subsample (pre- to post-treatment partial η2 < 0.001; post-treatment to follow-up partial η2 = 0.006), and the large decrease in CAPS-5 scores from pre- to post-treatment (partial η2 = 0.76) was maintained at follow-up (partial η2 = 0.003). Conclusion: The results suggest that intensive trauma-focused treatment is applicable for older adults with PTSD with a large within-effect size comparable to younger participants. Further research on age-related features is needed to examine whether these results can be replicated in the oldest-old (>80).

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Traumatic life events can result in severe psychiatric conditions among which posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is the most prevalent. Due to high comorbidity with other psychiatric diagnoses, PTSD treatment is challenging. In older adults, the presentation of PTSD symptoms is especially complicated because of even higher comorbidity, higher rates with other mental disorders, and cognitive and somatic conditions. Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence-based treatment for trauma in younger adults. There is limited empirical research on the treatment effects of EMDR in older adults. Moreover, the impact of successful EMDR treatment on the comorbid disorders, especially personality and cognitive dysfunctions, is unclear. In this case report, EMDR treatment effects for late-onset PTSD with comorbid borderline and avoidant personality disorders, as well as cognitive disorders and multiple somatic problems, will be presented in an older woman.