Control-theoretic treatment scheduling for posttraumatic stress disorder

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an acute anxiety disorder that afflicts more than one-fifth of veterans returning from conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. A recent study found that only a fraction of those suffering from PTSD receive adequate care. A model predictive control strategy is presented to optimize psychotherapy treatment for PTSD patients. A mathematical model is developed that captures the dynamic relationship between four psychotherapy interventions and four commonly-employed PTSD assessment scales. The model supports a model predictive control strategy in which psychotherapy treatments are scheduled to achieve a therapeutic objective while weighing exogenous factors such as treatment cost, preference, and tolerability. While this work represents only a preliminary step toward a quantitative tool for clinical use, the simulated treatment results indicate that the proposed model and control approach could provide valuable insight toward designing personalized psychotherapy schedules that increase treatment adherence, lower treatment costs, and provide PTSD patients with more effective care.