PREVALENCE OF PTSD AMONG PATIENTS WITH SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER

Course overview

Course Description: This course is based upon material published in the European Journal of Psychotraumatology and is available as an open access article. ABSTRACT Objectives: This study had three objectives. Firstly, the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and trauma exposure was compared between individuals with and without substance use disorder (SUD). Secondly, we compared self-rating of PTSD and clinical judgment. Thirdly, an analysis of the characteristics of SUD/PTSD patients was performed. Methods: The sample consisted of 423 patients with SUD and 206 healthy controls. All individuals were screened on PTSD using the self-rating inventory for PTSD. Results: Significantly higher numbers of PTSD and trauma exposure were found in the SUD group (resp. 36.6 and 97.4 percent). PTSD went frequently unnoticed when relying on clinical judgment alone. Patients with SUD/ PTSD were significantly more often unemployed and had a lower educational level. Axis I comorbidity and especially depressive disorders were more common in the SUD/PTSD group. Conclusion: It is concluded that patients with SUD/PTSD are a substantial and vulnerable subgroup in addiction treatment facilities and that a systematic screening for PTSD is required This course on the prevalence of PTSD in patients with substance use disorders is designed for substance abuse counselors, social workers, psychologists, nurses, and other mental health professionals who do clinical work. This course is appropriate for beginning, intermediate and advanced level practitioners who wish to enhance their understanding of PTSD and substance abuse. The course material includes a review of literature of PTSD prevalence in patients with substance use disorders. This course is particularly suited to licensed clinicians who require clinical continuing education courses for license renewal. The course is based on a journal article which includes research. As such it contains statistical analysis and data which some clinicians enjoy reading and others do not. One of the benefits of reading research based articles for continuing education is that it allows the practitioner to keep current on the latest findings in their field. Authors: Gielen, Havermans, Tekelenburg, and Jansen