Veterans with PTSD and addiction may find relief through simple writing exercises
NCT ID NCT05327504
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a short writing therapy called Written Exposure Therapy (WET) can help veterans who have both posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and a substance use disorder. About 170 veterans will complete five writing sessions about their trauma. The goal is to see if this approach reduces PTSD symptoms and is a practical addition to standard substance use treatment.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 170 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Sep 2022
- Expected to finish
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Jun 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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A government agency
The lead sponsor is a US federal agency other than the NIH.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Veterans ages 18 years old or older; * Meets DSM-5 criteria for at least one substance use disorder (SUD); * Meets DSM-5 criteria for PTSD; * Approved for SUD treatment at VA Connecticut Healthcare System. Exclusion Criteria: * Veterans who meet current criteria for schizophrenia, schizophrenia-type disorders, or unmedicated mania or bipolar disorder as determined by QuickSCID-5; * current suicidal or homicidal risks necessitating a higher level of care; * Veterans who have received an Evidence-Based Psychotherapy for PTSD protocol within the past 6 months; * Problems that would prevent a participant from completing the writing intervention or study assessments (e.g., illiteracy). To assess for literacy, participants will read parts of the consent out loud.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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VA Connecticut Healthcare System West Haven Campus, West Haven, CT
RECRUITINGWest Haven, Connecticut, 06516-2770, United States
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