skip to main content

EMDR Limitations — MRCPsych Paper B MCQ

Instant feedback + full explanation. One question, done properly.

HardAnxiety & Stress-Related DisordersEMDR LimitationsMRCPsych Paper B

An adult PTSD service is reviewing referrals for eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR). Each of the following people has had PTSD for more than 3 months and prefers EMDR. Which person falls outside the group for whom NICE NG116 recommends offering EMDR, specifically because of the type of trauma?

Educational content. Not a substitute for clinical judgement or local policy.

Reveal the answer and explanation

Correct answer: E — A 35-year-old veteran with PTSD following military combat

The correct answer is E. NICE recommends offering EMDR to adults presenting more than 3 months after non-combat-related trauma. Its rationale states that the evidence suggested EMDR was not effective for military combat-related trauma, so the recommendation was restricted to non-combat trauma. NICE does not describe EMDR for combat-related PTSD as a cautious second-line treatment to be used when the patient prefers it; that claim in the original explanation was unsupported. Road traffic accidents, assault, robbery and domestic abuse are non-combat traumas. Older age, mild learning disability and comorbid depression do not independently exclude EMDR, although treatment should be adapted to individual communication, cognitive and clinical needs. Trauma-focused CBT remains an offered intervention for adults presenting more than 1 month after trauma, including combat-related trauma.

Reference: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Post-traumatic stress disorder (NG116), recommendations 1.6.16 and 1.6.18–1.6.20 and rationale on EMDR, 2018; last reviewed 8 April 2025. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng116/chapter/recommendations