Pharmacological Treatment Following Traumatic Bereavement: A Case Series

REFERENCES

• American Psychiatric Association . ( 2010 ). DSM-5 development . Retrieved from http://www.dsm5.org
   Google Scholar
• Bonanno , G. A. , Neria , Y. , Mancini , A. , Coifman , K. G. , Litz , B. , & Insel , B. ( 2007 ). Is there more to complicated grief than depression and posttraumatic stress disorder? A test of incremental validity . Journal of Abnormal Psychology , 116 , 342 – 351 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Cook , J. M. , Biyanova , T. , & Marshall , R. ( 2007 ). Medicating grief with benzodiazepines: Physician and patient perspectives . Archives of Internal Medicine , 167 , 2006 – 2007 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Cooper , J. , Carty , J. , & Creamer , M. ( 2005 ). Pharmacotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder: Empirical review and clinical recommendations . Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry , 39 , 674 – 682 .
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Creamer , M. , Bell , R. , & Failla , S. ( 2003 ). Psychometric properties of the Impact of Event Scale-Revised . Behaviour Research and Therapy , 41 , 1489 – 1496 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Davidson , J. R. T. , Rothbaum , B. O. , Tucker , P. , Asnis , G. , Benattia , I. , & Musgnung , J. J. ( 2006 ). Venlafaxine extended release in posttraumatic stress disorder: A sertraline- and placebo-controlled study . Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology , 26 , 259 – 267 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Davidson , J. R. T. , & van der Kolk , B. A. ( 2007 ). The psychopharmacological treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder . In B. van der Kolk , A. McFarlane , & L. Weisaeth (Eds.), Traumatic stress: The overwhelming experience on mind, body, and society (pp. 510 – 524 ). New York , NY : Guilford Press .
   Google Scholar
• Davidson , J. R. T. , Weisler , R. H. , Butterfield , M. I. , Casat , C. D. , Connor , K. M. , Barnett , S. , & van Meter , S. ( 2003 ). Mirtazapine vs. placebo in posttraumatic stress disorder: A pilot trial . Biological Psychiatry , 53 , 188 – 191 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Davis , L. L. , Frazier , E. C. , Williford , R. B. , & Newell , J. M. ( 2006 ). Long-term pharmacotherapy for post-traumatic stress disorder . CNS Drugs , 20 , 465 – 476 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Derogatis , L. R. , Lipman , R. S. , Rickels , K. , Uhlenhuth , E. H. , & Covi , L. ( 1974 ). The Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL): A self-report symptom inventory . Behavioral Science , 19 , 1 – 15 .
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Forte , A. L. , Hill , M. , Pazder , R. , & Feudtner , C. ( 2004 ). Bereavement care interventions: A systematic review . BMC Palliative Care , 3 , 3 .
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Gelpin , E. , Bonne , O. , Peri , T. , Brandes , D. , & Shalev , A. Y. ( 1996 ). Treatment of recent trauma survivors with benzodiazepines: A prospective study . Journal of Clinical Psychiatry , 57 , 390 – 394 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Gilman , S. E. , Breslau , J. , Trinh , N. , Fava , M. , Murphy , J. M. , & Smoller , J. W. (2012). Bereavement and the diagnosis of major depressive episode in the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry , 73, 208–215.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Gold , K. J. , Schwenk , T. L. , & Johnson , T. R. ( 2008 ). Sedative for mothers of stillborn infants: Views from a national survey of obstetricians . Journal of Women's Health , 17 , 1605 – 1607 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Green , B. L. ( 2000 ). Traumatic loss: Conceptual and empirical links between trauma and bereavement . Journal of Personal and Interpersonal Loss , 5 , 1 – 17 .
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Harpaz-Rotem , I. , Rosenheck , R. A. , Mohamed , S. , & Desai , R. A. ( 2008 ). Pharmacologic treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder among privately insured Americans . Psychiatric Services , 59 , 1184 – 1190 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Harper , M. B. , & Wisian , N. B. ( 1994 ). Care of bereaved parents: A study of patient satisfaction . Journal of Reproductive Medicine , 39 , 80 – 86 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Healy , D. ( 2003 ). Lines of evidence on the risks of suicide with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors . Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics , 72 , 71 – 79 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Hensley , P. L. , Slonimski , C. K. , Uhlenhuth , E. H. , & Clayton , P. J. ( 2009 ). Escitalopram: An open-label study of bereavement-related depression and grief . Journal of Affective Disorders , 113 , 142 – 149 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Hertzberg , M. A. , Butterfield , M. I. , Feldman , M. E. , Beckham , J. C. , Sutherland , S. M. , Connor , K. M. , & Davidson , J. R. T. ( 1999 ). A preliminary study of lamotrigine for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder . Biological Psychiatry , 45 , 1226 – 1229 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Hertzberg , M. A. , Feldman , M. E. , Beckham , J. C. , Kudler , H. S. , & Davidson , J. R. T. ( 2000 ). Lack of efficacy for fluoxetine in PTSD: A placebo controlled trial in combat veterans . Annals of Clinical Psychiatry , 12 , 101 – 105 .
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Hesbacher , P. T. , Rickels , K. , Morris , R. J. , Newman , H. , & Rosenfeld , H. ( 1980 ). Psychiatric illness in family practice . Journal of Clinical Psychiatry , 41 , 6 – 10 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Institute of Medicine . ( 2007 ). Treatment of PTSD: An assessment of the evidence . Retrieved from http://www.iom.edu
   Google Scholar
• Jacobs , S. C. , Nelson , J. C. , & Zisook , S. ( 1987 ). Treating depressions of bereavement with antidepressants: A pilot study . Psychiatric Clinics of North America , 10 , 501 – 510 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Kirsch , I. , & Sapirstein , G. ( 1998 ). Listening to Prozac but hearing placebo: A meta-analysis of antidepressant medication . Prevention & Treatment , 1 , 2 .
   Google Scholar
• Kosten , T. R. , Frank , J. B. , Dan , E. , McDougle , C. J. , & Giller , E. L. ( 1991 ). Pharmacotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder using phenelzine or imipramine . Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease , 179 , 366 – 370 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Lichtenthal , W. G. , Cruess , D. G. , & Prigerson , H. G. ( 2004 ). A case for establishing complicated grief as a distinct mental disorder in DSM-V . Clinical Psychology Review , 24 , 637 – 662 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Malhi , G. S. , Adams , D. , Porter , R. , Wignall , A. , Lampe , L. , O'Connor , N. , … Mulder , R. T. ( 2009 ). Clinical practice recommendations for depression . Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica , 119 , 8 – 26 .
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Martenyi , F. , Brown , E. B. , & Caldwell , C. D. ( 2007 ). Failed efficacy of fluoxetine in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder: Results of a fixed-dose, placebo-controlled study . Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology , 27 , 166 – 170 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Martenyi , F. , & Soldatenkova , V. (2006). Fluoxetine in the acute treatment and relapse prevention of combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder: Analysis of the veteran group of a placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial. European Neuropsychoparmacology , 16, 340–349.
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Mojtabai , R. ( 2011 ). Bereavement-related depressive episodes: Characteristics, 3-year course, and implications for the DSM-5 . Archives of General Psychiatry , 68 , 920 – 928 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Neimeyer , R. A. , & Currier , J. M. ( 2009 ). Grief therapy: Evidence of efficacy and emerging directions . Current Directions in Psychological Science , 18 , 352 – 356 .
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Padala , P. R. , Madison , J. , Monnahan , M. , Marcil , W. , Price , P. , Ramaswamy , S. , … Petty , F. ( 2006 ). Risperidone monotherapy for post-traumatic stress disorder related to sexual assault and domestic abuse in women . International Clinical Psychopharmacology , 21 , 275 – 280 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Parloff , M. B. , Kelman , H. C. , & Frank , J. D. ( 1954 ). Comfort, effectiveness, and self-awareness as criteria for improvement in psychotherapy . American Journal of Psychiatry , 111 , 343 – 351 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Prigerson , H. G. , Horowitz , M. J. , Jacobs , S. C. , Parkes , C. M. , Aslan , M. , Goodkin , K. , … Maciejewski , P. K. ( 2009 ). Prolonged grief disorder: Psychometric validation of criteria proposed for DSM-V and ICD-11 . PLoS Medicine , 6 , 8 .
   Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Rando , T. A. ( 1985 ). Bereaved parents: Particular difficulties, unique factors, and treatment issues . Social Work , 30 , 19 – 23 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Raphael , B. , & Martinek , N. ( 1997 ). Assessing traumatic bereavement and posttraumatic stress disorder . In J. P. Wilson & T. M. Keane (Eds.), Assessing psychological trauma and PTSD (pp. 373 – 395 ). New York , NY : Guilford Press .
   Google Scholar
• Raphael , B. , Minkov , C. , & Dobson , M. ( 2001 ). Psychotherapeutic and pharmacological intervention for bereaved persons . In M. S. Strobe , R. O. Hansson , W. Stroebe , & H. Schut (Eds.), Handbook of bereavement research: Consequences, coping, and care (pp. 587 – 612 ). Washington , DC : American Psychological Association .
   Google Scholar
• Reynolds , C. F. , Miller , M. D. , Pasternak , R. E. , Frank , E. , Perel , J. M. , Cornes , C. , … Kupfer , D. J. ( 1999 ). Treatment of bereavement-related major depressive episodes in later life: A controlled study of acute and continuation treatment with nortriptyline and interpersonal psychotherapy . American Journal of Psychiatry , 156 , 202 – 208 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Shear , K. , Frank , E. , Houck , P. R. , & Reynolds , C. F. ( 2005 ). Treatment of complicated grief: A randomized controlled trial . Journal of the American Medical Association , 293 , 2601 – 2608 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Spiegel , A. ( 2010 ). Is emotional pain necessary? Retrieved from http://www.npr.org
   Google Scholar
• Stein , M. B. , Kline , N. A. , & Matloff , J. L. ( 2002 ). Adjunctive olanzapine for SSRI-resistant combat-related PTSD: A double-blind, placebo-controlled study . American Journal of Psychiatry , 159 , 1777 – 1779 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Taylor , M. P. , Reynolds , C. F. , Frank , E. , Dew , M. A. , Mazumdar , S. , Houck , P. R. , & Kupfer , D. J. ( 1999 ). EEG sleep measures in later-life bereavement depression: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled evaluation of nortriptyline . American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry , 7 , 41 – 47 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Veijola , J. , Jokelainen , J. , Laksy , K. , Kantojarvi , L. , Kokkonen , P. , Jarvelin , M. , & Joukamaa , M. (2003). The Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 in screening DSM-III-R axis-I disorders. Nordic Journal of Psychiatry , 57, 119–123.
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Warner , J. , Metcalfe , C. , & King , M. ( 2001 ). Evaluating the use of benzodiazepines following recent bereavement . British Journal of Psychiatry , 178 , 36 – 41 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Weiss , D. S. ( 2004 ). The Impact of Event Scale-Revised . In J. P. Wilson & T. M. Keane (Eds.), Assessing psychological trauma and PTSD ( , 2nd ed. , pp. 168 – 189 ). New York , NY : Guilford Press .
   Google Scholar
• Weiss , D. S. , & Marmar , C. ( 1997 ). The Impact of Event Scale-Revised . In J. P. Wilson & T. M. Keane (Eds.), Assessing psychological trauma and PTSD (pp. 399 – 411 ). New York , NY : Guilford Press .
   Google Scholar
• Zhang , B. , El-Jawahri , A. , & Prigerson , H. G. ( 2006 ). Update on bereavement research: Evidence-based guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of complicated bereavement . Journal of Palliative Medicine , 9 , 1188 – 1203 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Zisook , S. , Chentsova-Dutton , Y. , & Shuchter , S. R. ( 1998 ). PTSD following bereavement . Annals of Clinical Psychiatry , 10 , 157 – 163 .
   PubMedGoogle Scholar
• Zisook , S. , Shuchter , S. R. , Pedrelli , P. , Sable , J. , & Deaciuc , S. C. ( 2001 ). Bupropion sustained release for bereavement: Results of an open trial . Journal of Clinical Psychiatry , 62 , 227 – 230 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar
• Zygmont , M. , Prigerson , H. G. , Houck , P. R. , Miller , M. D. , Shear , M. K. , Jacobs , S. , & Reynolds , C. F. ( 1998 ). A post hoc comparison of paroxetine and nortriptyline for symptoms of traumatic grief . Journal of Clinical Psychiatry , 59 , 241 – 245 .
   PubMed Web of Science ®Google Scholar