Characteristics and Treatment of Adult Patients With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder – A Retrospective Claims-Based Analysis

Abstract: Background: Despite available guidelines, identifying and managing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in clinical practice remains challenging due to the heterogenous disease manifestation. Objective: To describe characteristics, symptoms, and treatment of patients with PTSD from a United States commercial insurance database. Methods: Adults diagnosed with PTSD who initiated a PTSD-related medication (i.e., selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor [SSRI], atypical antipsychotic [AA], or serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor [SNRI]) were identified from the IBM® MarketScan® Commercial Database (2015-2020). Patient characteristics, PTSD-related symptoms, and treatment patterns were assessed over 24 months following the diagnosis. Results: 26,306 adults met the study inclusion criteria and had an average age of 39.5 years and 73.3% were female. In the 6-month period prior to the PTSD diagnosis, 85.9% of patients had ≥1 comorbidity (depression: 50.8%; anxiety: 45.0%; sleep disturbances: 18.4%) and patients commonly displayed multiple PTSD-related symptoms (mental/behavioral/neurodevelopmental: 69.7%; general health/quality of life: 23.6%; cognitive faculties: 10.0%). Within 15 days of the PTSD diagnosis, 43.9% of patients received a PTSD-related medication, with patients receiving an average of 1.8 different medications and 35.0% of patients having ≥3 lines of therapy in the 24 months following diagnosis. Approximately two thirds of patients received an SSRI as their first treatment post diagnosis, 23.1% received an AA, and 22.5% received an SNRI, with 12.2% of patients initiating combination therapy of multiple PTSD-related medications. Conclusion: Adults with PTSD commonly present with complex comorbidity and symptom profiles, which may lead to increased polypharmacy and the use of augmenting agents that may be used for symptom management.Short Description: Despite available guidelines, identifying and managing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in clinical practice remains challenging due to heterogenous disease manifestation. In this commercial claims-based analysis, adults with PTSD presented with multiple comorbidities and symptoms, which may have contributed to increased polypharmacy and the use of augmenting agents that may be used for symptom management.Name of Sponsoring Organization(s): Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc.; Lundbeck LLC