Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Substance Use Disorder (SUD) are two very complex and debilitating conditions that are often comorbid. One study found that around 25% to 40% of people with PTSD have cooccurring SUD diagnoses, and that PTSD is seen more commonly in drug dependence than alcohol dependence (Driessen et al., 2008). Whilst these disorders manifest differently in individuals, the relationship between the two disorders seems to be characterised by reactions and reinforcement. PTSD is characterised by intrusive symptoms, avoidance of stimuli associated with the traumatic event, and negative changes in mood or functioning following the exposure to a traumatic event or events (American Psychiatric Association, 2022). This could
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There are different severities of the disorder – mild, moderate, severe – each having different levels of impairment to normal daily functioning. Individuals with PTSD may turn to substance use as a coping mechanism to alleviate distressing symptoms or to numb the emotional pain that they are continually going through with this disorder. Conversely, the chronic use of substances can worsen existing PTSD symptoms, impair emotional regulation, increase arousal, and hinder an individual’s ability to cope effectively with resurfacing memories or symptoms. In the other direction, due to the chemical and reward pathway changes in the brain caused by persistent substance use, it can be more likely that a PTSD diagnosis is acquired after a traumatic event. In a review article about both PTSD and SUD, the high comorbidity of the two disorders is investigated. A lot of evidence was found that indicated that the exposure to long-term substance use or stress could change the motivational systems in our brains to react differently to trauma, resulting in the onset of PTSD symptoms (Maria-Rios et al., …show more content…
The research also saw that using substances to cope with PTSD symptoms lead to problem drinking or substance use in many participants, which could in time lead to being dependent on said substance (Ullman et al., 2013). Hawn and colleagues (2020) also conducted research on the self-medication hypothesis relating to PTSD and alcohol use disorder (AUD), finding that this model accounted for a significant number of PTSD and AUD comorbidity diagnoses. Further research showed that there are also sex differences within this model, showing evidence that males with elevated PTSD symptoms were more inclined than females to resort to alcohol consumption as a coping mechanism for trauma-induced distress (Hawn et al., 2020), and to subsequently develop AUD, or SUD for substance use to cope. Addiction to PTSD Biological Factors Addiction, much like PTSD, involves complex neurobiological changes in the brain’s reward pathway, stress response system, and
There are different severities of the disorder – mild, moderate, severe – each having different levels of impairment to normal daily functioning. Individuals with PTSD may turn to substance use as a coping mechanism to alleviate distressing symptoms or to numb the emotional pain that they are continually going through with this disorder. Conversely, the chronic use of substances can worsen existing PTSD symptoms, impair emotional regulation, increase arousal, and hinder an individual’s ability to cope effectively with resurfacing memories or symptoms. In the other direction, due to the chemical and reward pathway changes in the brain caused by persistent substance use, it can be more likely that a PTSD diagnosis is acquired after a traumatic event. In a review article about both PTSD and SUD, the high comorbidity of the two disorders is investigated. A lot of evidence was found that indicated that the exposure to long-term substance use or stress could change the motivational systems in our brains to react differently to trauma, resulting in the onset of PTSD symptoms (Maria-Rios et al., …show more content…
The research also saw that using substances to cope with PTSD symptoms lead to problem drinking or substance use in many participants, which could in time lead to being dependent on said substance (Ullman et al., 2013). Hawn and colleagues (2020) also conducted research on the self-medication hypothesis relating to PTSD and alcohol use disorder (AUD), finding that this model accounted for a significant number of PTSD and AUD comorbidity diagnoses. Further research showed that there are also sex differences within this model, showing evidence that males with elevated PTSD symptoms were more inclined than females to resort to alcohol consumption as a coping mechanism for trauma-induced distress (Hawn et al., 2020), and to subsequently develop AUD, or SUD for substance use to cope. Addiction to PTSD Biological Factors Addiction, much like PTSD, involves complex neurobiological changes in the brain’s reward pathway, stress response system, and