People with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) commonly use or abuse drugs and/or alcohol. This self-treatment with substances, known as self-medicating, may help to explain the high rates of substance use disorders among people with PTSD.
PTSD和物质使用统计数据
- 在美国,6-8%的一般人口成年人接受过应税局。
- 10-30% of veterans have PTSD.
- 在终身前期PTSD的那些中,大约46%也有药物或酒精使用障碍。
- People with PTSD are up to 14 times more likely to develop a substance use disorder compared to people who don't have a PTSD diagnosis.
The high rate of co-occurrence between PTSD and substance use has caused researchers to take interest in better understanding the relationship in hope of developing more effective, targeted, treatments.
Substance Use as Self-Treatment
物质使用障碍更有可能遵循开发区的开发,建议在某种程度上提高了人们对物质使用问题的风险。
关于PTSD和物质使用之间的关系的一个主要理论是人的毒品或酒精使用是因为他们逃避或麻木的愿望distressing symptoms of PTSD。这被称为自我药物。
Researchers have found specific relationships between certain PTSD symptoms and the types of substances used. For example, the severity ofhyperarousal symptoms of PTSDis strongly connected with the use of substances that have a depressant or anti-anxiety effect, such as alcohol or大麻。
Other Theories Regarding the Relationship Between PTSD and Substance Use
It's important to note, however, that self-medication is not the only theory as to why PTSD and substance use is related (however, this theory has the most evidence to date).
除了自我药物之外,PTSD和物质使用障碍之间的其他可能的连接包括:
- Using substances may increase the chance someone will experience traumatic events, which in turn could lead to the development of PTSD.
- Some people may have an underlying genetic vulnerability for developing both substance use disorders和PTSD。
Consequences of Self-Treating PTSD With Substances
如果您转向毒品或酒精(或两者),当您正在处理PTSD时,它可能最初可以帮助您感到不那么痛苦。然而,在长期的情况下,自我药物会导致许多严重的问题。
Substance use is a short-term fix. Your PTSD symptoms may come back stronger, resulting in an increased desire to use substances.
Additionally, if you have PTSD and a substance use disorder, you're at increased risk of experiencing a number of negative consequences, such as:
- Depression
- 关系问题
- Anxiety
- 法律问题
- Medical problems
- Inpatient psychiatric hospitalization
- Suicide attempts
If you are having suicidal thoughts, contact theNational Suicide Prevention Lifelineat1-800-273-8255用于培训辅导员的支持和援助。如果您或亲人在立即危险,请致电911。
为了更多的心理健康万博手机客户端资源,看看我们的National Helpline Database。
Getting Help Instead of Self-Treating PTSD
People with PTSD want to alleviate the distress that results fromsymptoms,但物质使用不是答案。已经开发出用于PTSD和物质使用障碍的专门处理,可以帮助人们应对。
One popular and well-established treatment is寻求安全, which can people understand the relationship between PTSD and substance use. It can also provide additional skills for managing distressing PTSD symptoms, which will decrease a person's reliance on drugs and alcohol to cope.