According to a large national epidemiologic study reported on by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 44.6% of individuals with lifetime post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) also met criteria for a substance use disorder (SUD). This isn’t just a statistic for veterans – according to the National Institutes of Health, PTSD and SUD were co-occurring in 40% of both civilians and veterans. It’s obvious from these statistics that SUD and PTSD often co-occur– but why? Understanding both of these disorders can help us understand how they interact, why they co-occur so often and what treatment options are available. 

If you or a loved one is struggling with PTSD and SUD, or you think they might be developing SUD due to their traumatic event, there are several resources and tips that you can use to see that they get the help that they need. 

What Causes PTSD?

First, we have to understand what happens in the brain due to PTSD. PTSD can be caused by any traumatic event, from interpersonal events, such as an abusive relationship, to larger scale events, like natural disasters. PTSD affects the brain by taking memories of past traumatic experiences and applying them to current or future situations, regardless of if the situations pose a threat. It’s a fear response, meaning that it engages the brain’s emotional center, the amygdala, and floods it with stress stimuli, putting it into overdrive. 

The amygdala isn’t only the brain’s emotional processing center, but it also plays a crucial role in memory, social cognition and aggression regulation. If your amygdala is overworked, and flooded with stress, all of these centers of the brain can suffer, causing the most common symptoms that are seen in PTSD cases, including poor memory, extreme irritability, irrationality and so on. 

What Influences Addiction?

Why addiction develops has been a question at the heart of the larger medical community for years, and it’s a complicated one. There are several reasons why someone might develop a substance addiction, from genetic predisposition to environmental factors. What we do know in more clarity is how addiction affects the brain. 

Substances alter three main areas of the brain; the basal ganglia, the extended amygdala and the prefrontal cortex. These areas of the brain are all vital for emotional regulation, the formation of long- and short-term memory and decision making and impulse regulation. In the short term, substance use can increase feelings of euphoria in these centers by flooding the brain with reward signals. However, extended use decreases the brain’s sensitivity to reward signals and heightens the brain’s stress response. This trade-off is what creates prolonged substance abuse cycles. 

The Relationship Between PTSD and Substance Abuse

Understanding how PTSD and SUD affect the brain, we can start to see the relationship between the two. Someone who already has an overactive amygdala, such as someone struggling with PTSD, is more likely to seek out substances that interrupt or affect that center of the brain. 

Unfortunately, there are still stigmas around both PTSD and substance use disorder. People struggling with PTSD may feel resistant to ask for help, feeling like they don’t want to be a burden or that no one else could understand their experience. This can influence a decision to seek substances as self-medication. Similarly, substance abuse is often stigmatized as shameful, dirty or even dangerous. It’s no surprise that PTSD and addiction, which mirror each other in so many ways, are so frequently co-occurring. The similarities between these disorders also highlight the need for nurturing, specialized treatment. 

PTSD and Addiction Treatment Options 

If you or a loved one is struggling with PTSD and co-occurring SUD, there is treatment available. Different treatment programs are designed with different priorities in mind, but all can help break cycles of substance abuse. 

Inpatient treatment 

Inpatient treatment is designed for people who may need more constant, focused care. Patients in these programs will stay on site and engage in the program’s all-day curriculum. This will include: 

  • Group therapy
  • Recreational therapy
  • Individual therapy
  • Psychiatric education
  • Nursing education
  • Substance abuse education
  • Relapse prevention
  • Medication management
  • Dietary counseling
  • Support groups

Inpatient programs are designed to support dual-diagnosis treatment, such as those who may have co-occurring PTSD and SUD, or other co-occurring mental health disorders. 

Intensive outpatient treatment

Intensive Outpatient Treatment, or IOP, is designed for those who don’t want to, or can’t, stay at the facility for an extended period of time. IOPs are often for a few hours, several days a week, and cover much of the same curriculum as an inpatient program in a more condensed way. IOPs are often more focused on therapy and lifestyle management in order to set up patients for success in their everyday lives. These programs are perfect for those who have school, work or family obligations. 

Partial hospitalization program

A partial hospitalization program, or PHP, is an in-between of an inpatient program and an IOP. While PHPs and IOPs are similar, a PHP is often a bigger time commitment than an IOP but usually doesn’t involve an overnight stay, or doesn’t require overnight stays for the entire length of the program. PHPs are helpful if you need more trained medical assistance, alongside therapy sessions. 

Help Is Available

At BridgeWay, Our programs are designed to give each patient individualized care to gain the specific education and skills needed to manage their symptoms, resolve problems, recognize life stressors and effectively cope with their condition. Call today at  888-818-6955 to learn more about our programs and admissions.