Since its introduction in 1989, numerous controlled studies have been conducted to evaluate EMDR's utility as a treatment for various forms of trauma-related complaints, including PTSD. The positive results have established EMDR as an effective trauma treatment and have prompted numerous professional organisations to recognise its efficacy, beginning with the American Psychological Association's (APA) Division 12 Task Force on Psychological Interventions in 1998. Since then, the NHS the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies , the Israeli National Council for Mental Health , and the Northern Ireland Department of Health have also supported EMDR. Most recently, the US Departments of Defence and Veterans Affairs stated that EMDR was an effective treatment of trauma, as did the American Psychiatric Association . It has also been found to be helpful in medically unexplained symptoms and somatoform disorders.