Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40879152›Full record

ArticlePsychiatry and clinical psychopharmacology2025

Interventional Psychiatry and Emerging Treatments for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): A Systematic Review.

Reinhard Janssen-Aguilar, Shakila Meshkat, Huda F Al-Shamali, Argyrios Perivolaris, Jennifer Swainson, Yanbo Zhang, Andrew Greenshaw, Lisa Burback, Olga Winkler, Jennifer L Phillips and 7 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Psychiatry and clinical psychopharmacology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Post-traumatic stress disorder.Nature reviews. Disease primers · 2026
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors.

Reinhard Janssen-AguilarInterventional Psychiatry Program, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Canada.
Shakila MeshkatInterventional Psychiatry Program, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Canada.
Huda F Al-ShamaliInterventional Psychiatry Program, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Canada.
Argyrios PerivolarisInterventional Psychiatry Program, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Canada.
Jennifer SwainsonDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
Yanbo ZhangDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
Andrew GreenshawDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
Lisa BurbackDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
Olga WinklerDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
Jennifer L PhillipsUniversity of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at the Royal, Ottawa, Canada.
Murray W EnnsDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.
Jitender SareenDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.
Andrew NicholsonUniversity of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at the Royal, Ottawa, Canada.
Eric VermettenDepartment of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Rakesh JetlyUniversity of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at the Royal, Ottawa, Canada.
Ruth LaniusDepartment of Psychiatry, Western University, London, Canada.
Venkat BhatInterventional Psychiatry Program, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe, often difficult-to-treat condition, highlighting the need for innovative therapies. Interventional treatments, including neuromodulation, rapid-acting pharmacotherapies such as intravenous ketamine (IV-KET) and esketamine (ESK), and emerging psychedelic-assisted psychotherapies, offer promising solutions. This systematic review evaluates the efficacy, safety, and future research priorities of these treatments for PTSD. Methods: A search strategy was implemented across 3 electronic databases. Peer-reviewed articles written in English that focused on interventional psychiatry treatments for adult patients with PTSD were included. Results: The systematic review encompassed 94 studies, including 39 on transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), 8 on IV-KET, 3 on intranasal esketamine (IN-ESK), 4 on intravenous ketamine (IV-KET) assisted therapy (KET-AT), 1 on esketamine (ESK) assisted therapy (ESK-AT), and 14 on 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine assisted therapy (MDMA-AT). Randomized controlled trials demonstrated response rates of 12.5%-80% for TMS, 17%-67% for IV-KET, and 50%-87% for MDMA. Additional treatments reviewed included Electroconvulsive Therapy, transcranial direct current stimulation, and other pharmacological and neurostimulation treatments. Most treatments were well tolerated, with only mild, transient adverse effects. Conclusions: This review highlights the heterogeneity in efficacy, safety, and tolerability across neuromodulation and pharmacologic treatments for PTSD. Variability in response rates reflects differences in patient populations, protocols, and comorbidities. While repetitive TMS, IV-KET, ESK, KET-AT, and MDMA-AT show symptom improvement, sustained efficacy varies, underscoring the need for maintenance strategies. Although direct evidence on stage-specific approaches is limited, these methods, guided by neuroscience-based nomenclature, may improve therapeutic precision, especially in complex cases.

Identifiers

PMID40879152
PMCPMC12410247

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.