Reply to "Comments on a Randomized, Double-Blind Comparison of Sertraline and Placebo for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in a Department of Veterans Affairs Setting

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Sir: We certainly agree with Dr. Hussain that more researchis needed regarding responsivity of patients with combat-related(compared to non-combat-related) posttraumatic stress disorder(PTSD) to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), othermedications, and psychotherapy. We also agree that further researchon predictors of response would be very useful.We recognize that negative results among chronic Vietnamveterans in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) settings haveprompted speculation that combat-related PTSD is somehowdifferent and less treatment responsive than non-combat-relatedPTSD.’ ‹