The Link Between PTSD and Substance Abuse

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that can develop in some people after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. An emerging body of research has documented a very strong association between PTSD and substance abuse.

How Do Young Kids and Teens Respond to Trauma? Is Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) a Concern?

We hear it on the nightly news all too frequently: young kids and teens becoming the victims of life-endangering violence or witnessing frightening events first-hand. Based on research from Oklahoma City, high rates of PTSD may also be related to exposure to media coverage and to children who have a friend or family member that was killed or injured.

Who Is Most Likely To Develop Posttraumatic Stress Disorder?

Most people who are exposed to a traumatic, stressful event experience some of the symptoms of PTSD in the days and weeks following exposure. Available data suggest that about 8% of men and 20% of women go on to develop PTSD, and roughly 30% of these individuals develop a chronic form that persists throughout their lifetimes.

EMDR Therapy Offers New Hope

By Carol Boulware, Ph.D.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing) is a powerful short-term therapy that's highly effective for confronting and overcoming stress, anxiety, and trauma.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Following Childbirth

Childbirth can be one of the most intense physical and emotional experiences a woman can go through and recent studies say that for some women it can be the cause of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

By Shayna Reibman, Ph.D.

EMDR is an innovative clinical technique that has successfully helped individuals who have survived traumas including sexual abuse, domestic violence, combat, and crime, as well as a variety of other clinical complaints such as depressions, addictions, phobias, and self-esteem issues.

Evidence-Based Prevention is Goal of Largest Ever Study of Suicide in the Military

Study investigators aim to move quickly to identify risk and protective factors for suicide among soldiers and provide a science base for effective and practical interventions to reduce suicide rates and address associated mental health problems.

Research Programs Studying Resilience Following Hurricane Ike

Weathering the emotional shocks of disasters can have long-term mental health consequences for those who have experienced these events. Post-disaster research can provide insight into what helps people cope in traumatic situations and what services can best support their ability to adapt and rebound.

Mental Disorders Persist Among Hurricane Katrina Survivors

More residents affected by Hurricane Katrina are enduring mental disorders than was initially determined a few months after the storm, according to a study published online January 8, 2008, in the journal Molecular Psychiatry. The trend runs counter to the typical pattern of recovery after a natural disaster.

Hurricane Katrina Survivors Lack Access to Mental Health Services

A study published on December 17, 2007, details how the majority of Hurricane Katrina survivors who developed mental disorders after the disaster are still not receiving the mental health services they need, and many who were receiving mental health care prior to the hurricane have not been able to continue with treatment.

Memory-sustaining Enzyme May Help Treat PTSD, Cognitive Decline

Study finds chemically blocking an enzyme in a specific area in the brain’s cortex, or outer mantle, can erase a long-term memory of an aversive event that had been learned. The erasing occurred even if the blocking agent was administered weeks after the event and appeared to be permanent.

Answers to Your Most Frequently Asked Questions About PTSD

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal in which grave physical harm occurred or was threatened. Traumatic situations that can trigger PTSD include violent personal assaults such as rape or mugging, military combat, natural disasters, and automobile accidents. If left untreated, PTSD can become extremely disabling.

New Research Report on Comorbidity of Addiction and Other Mental Illnesses

New research report, Comorbidity: Addiction and Other Mental Illnesses, summarizes the state of the science regarding the complex relationship between substance abuse and other mental disorders. The release of this report is timely given the increasing prevalence and link between post traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse.

PTSD Can Lead to a More Severe Course and Worse Outcomes When Coupled With Substance Abuse

The first multi-center study of PTSD among individuals seeking treatment for an SUD has found a greater prevalence of PTSD among those who were drug- rather than alcohol-dependent, and that having PTSD was associated with a more severe course and worse outcome for an SUD.

PTSD Is Not a New Disorder

Although careful research and documentation of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) began in earnest after the Vietnam War, it is not a new disorder. There are written accounts of similar symptoms that go back to ancient times, and there is clear documentation in the historical medical literature starting with the Civil War. There are particularly good destrictions of posttraumatic stress symptoms in the medical literature on combat veterans of World War II and on Holocaust survivors.