Post-traumatic Stress Disorder is on the rise and can leave sufferers at greater risk for addiction, but help is available.
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can be a response to a variety of traumatic events. Soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, survivors of natural disasters, auto accidents, acts of terrorism and victims of sexual abuse or other crimes are all at risk.
PTSD is a severe anxiety disorder that can overwhelm an individual's ability to cope, causing symptoms that include flashbacks or nightmares where the sufferer relives the original trauma. Difficulty sleeping, hyper-vigilance and anger are also often signs of PTSD.
While both trauma and PTSD are anxiety disorders, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder persists for more than 30 days, distinguishing it from Acute Stress Disorder, which is more brief. Trauma and PTSD can take three different forms, including chronic, acute and delayed-onset. PTSD is recognized in the formal diagnostic criteria of the DSM-IV as an official disorder. To be classified as PTSD, symptoms must last more than one month and cause significant impairment in social, occupational or other important areas of functioning.
PTSD Symptoms
Experiencing or witnessing any event that could be perceived as life-threatening can bring on PTSD. Physical assault, sexual assault, drug addiction, bullying, illness, war or natural disaster are all experiences that can lead to PTSD, and prisoners of war, soldiers and emergency services personnel are all at risk of developing the disorder. Physical, mental or sexual abuse can be triggers as can a violent crime, rape or even a traumatic accident. Experts are also seeing many incidences of PTSD and trauma among veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (see our Veterans First Program).
The Science of PTSD
Traumatic events cause an overactive adrenaline response, which creates deep neurological patterns in the brain. These patterns can persist long after the event that triggered the fear, making an individual hyper-responsive to future fearful situations. More than just a fear response, though, PTSD causes an actual biochemical change in the brain and body that is different from other psychiatric disorders, including clinical depression. Many PTSD sufferers also display a low secretion of cortisol and a subsequent high secretion of something called catecholamines in their urine.
During the usual fight-or-flight response brought on my many traumatic events, cortisol levels are higher rather than lower. Some research points to the idea that low cortisol levels may predispose individuals to PTSD. It is thought that trauma survivors with low cortisol experience a longer and more distressing response to a traumatic event, making them more at risk for developing PTSD. In contrast, others in the medical community maintain there is no clear relationship between cortisol levels and PTSD. There is evidence that susceptibility to PTSD is hereditary.
Diagnosing PTSD
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) appears in the DSM-IV (the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) with criteria for the disorder including exposure to a traumatic event, persistent re-experiencing and persistent avoidance and emotional numbing. PTSD is characterized by persistent symptoms of increased arousal not present prior to the traumatic event or events. For those who may be suffering from PTSD, they should consult a doctor for a professional diagnosis if they exhibit the following symptoms:
Bad dreams
Flashbacks
Scary thoughts you can't control
Staying away from places and things that remind you of what happened
Feeling worried, guilty or sad
Feeling alone
Trouble sleeping
Feeling on edge
Angry outbursts
Thoughts of hurting yourself or others
PTSD & Addiction
Research confirms that PTSD sufferers are at greater risk for addiction, with studies showing that smoking rates among people with PTSD are nearly double that of the general population, as is the rate of alcohol abuse and dependence. The drug addiction and dependence rate is almost three times that of the general adult population. PTSD can either cause or exacerbate substance abuse as a sufferer attempts to self-medicate using prescription or illegal substances to ward off unwanted feelings and memories. In recent years, research has found that there are very few individuals in treatment for addiction that haven't experienced some sort of trauma.
Our dual-diagnosis approach to treatment is tailored to those dealing with a substance abuse problem or alcohol addiction as well as a behavioral issue such as PTSD, clinical depression or bipolar disorder. It's important to get help for these co-occurring disorders simultaneously by professionals trained to treat both disorders for the best chance of lifelong recovery and return to health.
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder is on the rise and can leave sufferers at greater risk for addiction, but help is available.
