Brett T. Litz, PhD
Professor, Psychiatry
Biography
Dr. Litz is a clinical psychologist and Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Psychological and Brain Sciences and is also the Director of the Mental Health Core of the Massachusetts Veterans Epidemiological Research and Information Center at the VA Boston Healthcare System. He is principal investigator on various research projects funded by the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs. Dr. Litz is internationally recognized as an expert on PTSD, military trauma, and the early intervention and treatment of trauma, traumatic loss, and moral injury. He also evaluates the mental health outcomes associated with military deployments across the lifespan and develops and validates assessment instruments to evaluate PTSD and moral injury.
Dr. Litz’s recent work entails evaluations of the psychiatric, psychological, social, and spiritual impact of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars among active-duty military personnel and veterans and conducting clinical trials of a psychotherapy developed by Dr. Litz and his colleagues called Adaptive Disclosure (http://www.guilford.com/books/Adaptive-Disclosure/Litz-Lebowitz-Gray-Nash/9781462523290) that targets warzone trauma, loss, and moral injury. He has 300 publications and has authored three books. Dr. Litz is also a fellow of the Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, the American Psychopathological Association, and the Association for Psychological Science, and he is a former member of the Psychological Subcommittee of the Defense Health Board. He has also been a member of various special committees sponsored by the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, and the National Institute of Mental Health.
Other Positions
- VA Boston Healthcare System
Education
- State University of New York at Binghamton, PhD
- State University of New York at Binghamton, MA
- State University of New York at Stony Brook, BA
Publications
- Published on 9/25/2018
Ben Barnes J, Presseau C, Jordan AH, Kline NK, Young-McCaughan S, Keane TM, Peterson AL, Litz BT. Common Data Elements in the Assessment of Military-Related PTSD Research Applied in the Consortium to Alleviate PTSD. Mil Med. 2018 Sep 25. PMID: 30252077.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 9/17/2018
Brown LA, Clapp JD, Kemp JJ, Yarvis JS, Dondanville KA, Litz BT, Mintz J, Roache JD, Young-McCaughan S, Peterson AL, Foa EB. The pattern of symptom change during prolonged exposure therapy and present-centered therapy for PTSD in active duty military personnel. Psychol Med. 2018 Sep 17; 1-10. PMID: 30220261.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 8/24/2018
Back SE, Flanagan JC, Jones JL, Augur I, Peterson AL, Young-McCaughan S, Shirley DW, Henschel A, Joseph JE, Litz BT, Hancock AK, Roache JD, Mintz J, Wachen JS, Keane TM, Brady KT. Doxazosin for the treatment of co-occurring PTSD and alcohol use disorder: Design and methodology of a randomized controlled trial in military veterans. Contemp Clin Trials. 2018 Oct; 73:8-15. PMID: 30145268.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 7/25/2018
Peterson AL, Foa EB, Blount TH, McLean CP, Shah DV, Young-McCaughan S, Litz BT, Schobitz RP, Castillo DT, Rentz TO, Yarvis JS, Dondanville KA, Fina BA, Hall-Clark BN, Brown LA, DeBeer BR, Jacoby VM, Hancock AK, Williamson DE, Evans WR, Synett S, Straud C, Hansen HR, Meyer EC, Javors MA, Sharrieff AM, Lara-Ruiz J, Koch LM, Roache JD, Mintz J, Keane TM. Intensive prolonged exposure therapy for combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder: Design and methodology of a randomized clinical trial. Contemp Clin Trials. 2018 Sep; 72:126-136. PMID: 30055335.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 7/9/2018
Schorr Y, Stein NR, Maguen S, Barnes JB, Bosch J, Litz BT. Sources of moral injury among war veterans: A qualitative evaluation. J Clin Psychol. 2018 Dec; 74(12):2203-2218. PMID: 29984839.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 7/1/2018
Bhalla A, Allen E, Renshaw K, Kenny J, Litz B. Emotional numbing symptoms partially mediate the association between exposure to potentially morally injurious experiences and sexual anxiety for male service members. J Trauma Dissociation. 2018 Jul-Sep; 19(4):417-430. PMID: 29601288.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 6/19/2018
Peterson AL, Baker MT, Moore CBA, Hale WJ, Joseph JS, Straud CL, Lancaster CL, McNally RJ, Isler WC, Litz BT, Mintz J. Deployed Military Medical Personnel: Impact of Combat and Healthcare Trauma Exposure. Mil Med. 2018 Jun 19. PMID: 29931192.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 6/1/2018
Taylor DJ, Peterson AL, Pruiksma KE, Hale WJ, Young-McCaughan S, Wilkerson A, Nicholson K, Litz BT, Dondanville KA, Roache JD, Borah EV, Brundige A, Mintz J. Impact of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia disorder on sleep and comorbid symptoms in military personnel: a randomized clinical trial. Sleep. 2018 Jun 01; 41(6). PMID: 29618098.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 4/1/2018
Asnaani A, Kaczkurkin AN, Benhamou K, Yarvis JS, Peterson AL, Young-McCaughan S, Borah EV, Dondanville KA, Hembree EA, Litz BT, Mintz J, Foa EB. The Influence of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder on Health Functioning in Active-Duty Military Service Members. J Trauma Stress. 2018 Apr; 31(2):307-316. PMID: 29669183.
Read at: PubMed - Published on 4/1/2018
Litz BT, Contractor AA, Rhodes C, Dondanville KA, Jordan AH, Resick PA, Foa EB, Young-McCaughan S, Mintz J, Yarvis JS, Peterson AL. Distinct Trauma Types in Military Service Members Seeking Treatment for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. J Trauma Stress. 2018 Apr; 31(2):286-295. PMID: 29669185.
Read at: PubMed
View 247 more publications: View full profile at BUMC