science

Post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders

Post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders rather than just read about it. In short: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can affect about 3.6% of the U.S. population each year, and 6.8% of the U.S. population over a lifetime. 8.4% of people in the U.S. are diagnosed with substance use disorders (SUD). Of those with a diagnosis of PTSD, a co-occurring, or comorbid diagnosis of a SUD is present in 20–35% of that clinical population.

Key takeaways

Post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can affect about 3.6% of the U.S. population each year, and 6.8% of the U.S. population over a lifetime. 8.4% of people in the U.S. are diagnosed with substance use disorders (SUD). Of those with a diagnosis of PTSD, a co-occurring, or comorbid diagnosis of a SUD is present in 20–35% of that clinical population. Prevalence of SUD and PTSD may increase depending on specific populations. For example, the prevalence of both PTSD and SUD is higher in combat veterans. Other populations that are disproportionately affected by both of these disorders include women, members of the black and hispanic populations, and members of the LGBTQ community. Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is the leading cause of SUD amongst veterans who have experienced trauma. While research indicates that alcohol is the most abused substance by those diagnosed with PTSD, additional substances with high abuse rates include other depressants such as cannabis and opiates, as well as the stimulant cocaine."

Worsening PTSD symptoms are associated with increased SUD and poor treatment response Of those with a SUD diagnosis, current PTSD is present in 25–50%, and lifetime PTSD is present in 15–40%, averaging 30% overall. Though roughly a third of all people diagnosed with SUD also have PTSD, there is not yet a consistent protocol for SUD treatment centers to screen for both PTSD and SUD symptomology upon intake. The presence of both PTSD and SUD can hinder outcomes of those seeking treatment for either PTSD or SUD. A few different treatment options include trauma focused treatments such as psychotherapy, non trauma focused treatments, and pharmacological treatments like medications that can help reduce withdrawal symptoms or SSRIs.Those who experience both diagnoses may generally have poorer overall functioning and worse overall well-being than each diagnosis by itself. This can manifest as being hospitalized more frequently, experiencing increased levels of legal issues, have less social support, and have a harder time retaining employment. In treatment these individuals can have high dropout rates, respond poorly to the treatment of PTSD in general, have greater levels of addiction severity, and shorter periods of remission for substance use treatment.

Etiological theory Each of the subsequent theories about the causal link between PTSD and SUD have varying levels of empirical support. These etiological theories are not mutually exclusive, and features of more than one can be present for an individual with dual diagnoses of SUD and PTSD. No one clear etiological link has been established between SUD and PTSD.

Susceptibility hypothesis The susceptibility hypothesis suggests that the substance use may increase the risk of PTSD developing after a traumatic event. Individuals who use substances may lack appropriate coping mechanisms to deal with daily stressors before the traumatic event, they may be less equipped than individuals who do not use substances to cope with extreme stress. Thus, these individuals may be more susceptible to developing PTSD following a traumatic event.

Implication of coping strategies Coping style has recurrently been discussed as a third-party influence on the presence of dual diagnosis for PTSD and SUD. Avoidant coping styles have been shown to have a strong relationship to both PTSD and SUD individually, as well as presentation of concomitant PTSD and SUD together. Those with avoidant coping styles attempt to avoid interacting with or experiencing thoughts, feelings, or physical sensations reminiscent of the stressor in order to gain relief from the distress it causes. Substance use, for example, can allow a person to attempt to escape the distressing thoughts, feelings or physical sensations associated with the stressor the person is attempting to avoid experiencing. An avoidant coping style can therefore increase an individual's likelihood to seek means to avoid experiencing distressing sensations and increase likelihood of substance use overall.

PTSD affects substance use disorders Individuals with comorbid PTSD and SUD tend to engage in more frequent and heavier substance use than individuals who have SUD alone. Additionally, research suggests that symptoms of PTSD can hinder abstaining from substance use. More generally, individuals with a dual diagnosis of PTSD and SUD have shown to be at increased risk meeting criteria for other psychiatric diagnosis in additional to PTSD and SUD when compared to those with SUD alone. Those with a dual diagnosis of PTSD and SUD have also been shown to seek treatment at higher rates than those who experience SUD alone.

How substance use disorders affect PTSD The self medication hypothesis, as well as behavioral and emotional conditioning plays a role for people with dual diagnoses of PTSD and SUD. Symptoms of withdrawal, increased heart rate, sweating can mirror a human's natural physiological responses to fear, and can therefore trigger fear responses associated with that person's traumatic experience. Those with comorbid PTSD and SUD diagnoses may seek to avoid experiencing withdrawal to avoid experiencing these sensations that can act as fear inducing and triggering experiential catalysts. Additionally, individuals who chronically use substances as a form of self-medication for PTSD symptoms strengthen an automatic mental link between PTSD symptoms and the substance use itself via conditioning. Stress is also a component of PTSD that may lead to drug use, due to the norepinephrine that is released from the stress response of the body. Therefore, conditioned link between PTSD and substance use may trigger craving for substances when it arises, potentially increasing psychological dependence and complicating treatment outcomes for both diagnoses.

Implicated brain systems

Hippocampus and amygdala The hippocampus, which is responsible for encoding memory within the brain, is implicated in both PTSD and SUD. PTSD and SUD have been found to interfere with typical hippocampal functioning. Studies of the involvement of the hippocampus in both sole PTSD and SUD diagnosis as well as comorbid PTSD and SUD evidence that the manifestation of these diagnosis are related to decreased hippocampal volume.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders illustration

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders

In research: Post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Post-traumatic stress disorder, Substance-related disorders, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders in simple terms?

Why does Post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders.