23 September 2025

Cost Effectiveness of Adjunctive Neurofeedback vs. Psychotherapy or Pharmacotherapy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Voigt JD, Tendler A, Marci C, Carpenter LL. Healthcare 2025, 13(19), 238.

The direct health care costs for treating patients with PTSD were estimated to be $76 billion in the United States in 2018, with related substance abuse, homelessness, and disability adding $35.7 billion more.

This article presents assessment of its cost and effectiveness of amygdala-based neurofeedback (NF) with other therapies (OT) compared to psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy alone. 

Effectiveness was measured using CAPS-5 score reductions converted to quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) using regression analysis. Dropout and relapse rates were derived from systematic reviews and meta-analysis. 

Results demonstrated that Prism + OT had cost savings vs. psychotherapy of $6766, $7764, and $8267, aggregated for years 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Additionally, when evaluating Prism + OT vs. pharmacotherapy, it was found that Prism + OT had a cost savings of $6480, $9437, and $12,449 for years 1, 2, and 3, respectively.

When used as an adjunct to other evidence-based treatments, Prism self-neuromodulation is a cost-effective PTSD treatment that helps improve patient symptoms with high adherence. 

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To read the full article in Healthcare - https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/13/19/2388