TY - JOUR AU - Forstmeier, Simon AU - van der Hal, Elisheva AU - Auerbach, Martin AU - Maercker, Andreas AU - Brom, Danny PY - 2020 DA - 2020/04/25 TI - Life review therapy for holocaust survivors (LRT-HS): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial JO - BMC Psychiatry SP - 186 VL - 20 IS - 1 AB - The Holocaust was one of the most traumatic catastrophes in recorded human history. Survivors seeking psychotherapeutic help today, now in their seventies and older, often show symptoms of a posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, or prolonged grief disorder. Established psychological treatments for PTSD (e.g. cognitive behaviour therapy, psychodynamic therapies) have been tested and assessed mainly with young and middle-aged adults; only very few studies examined them in old age. There is no therapy outcome study known to us for any treatment mode for Holocaust survivors. Moreover, there is a need for an age group-specific treatment of PTSD and other stress-related mental disorders. A narrative approach including life-review and narrative exposure seems to meet very well the natural need of older people to review their lives and is highly effective. However, most studies on the efficacy of life review therapy (LRT) focus on late-life depression. There is a lack of efficacy studies evaluating the effect of LRT on PTSD symptoms in older individuals that have experienced traumatic events. SN - 1471-244X UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-020-02600-5 DO - 10.1186/s12888-020-02600-5 ID - Forstmeier2020 ER -