Bridging the gap in delivery of psychological treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder.

Bradley E. Karlin, PhD Scientific understanding of and treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have come a long way in the past few decades. Not long ago, the diagnostic features and pathophysiology of what we now know as PTSD and previously knew as “shell shock” or “battle fatigue” were poorly understood and treatment was widely considered to be futile. Advancements in our understanding of the development, onset, classification, and treatment of PTSD over the last several decades now offer great promise to Veterans with PTSD returning from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as to those who returned from conflict decades ago and non-Veteran trauma survivors. As the articles in this special issue of the Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development illustrate, the current state of the science of and treatment for PTSD provide real and unprecedented opportunities for recovery for many individuals with PTSD.