Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is common in military veterans but can affect anyone who has suffered or witnessed an extreme physical or emotional event, and it is very hard to treat. More than two-thirds of people fail to respond to treatment with drugs and therapy. Novel treatments are urgently needed.
A recent study from Israel has been showing promise with an unusual treatment: hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). This involves breathing pure oxygen in a pressurised chamber. HBOT is conventionally used to treat various physical ailments, such as carbon monoxide poisoning and decompression sickness (also known as “the bends”).
The study, published in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, included 63 male veterans aged 25 to 60 who had suffered from PTSD for more than five years. Fifty-six subjects completed the study.
