Trauma
Mental
Health
Substance
Abuse
• Trauma increase the likelihood that a person will have a mental health disorder
• Because people with mental health disorders and chemical dependency issues
are often quite vulnerable, both of these increase the likelihood that a person
will be victimized (a traumatic experience)
• At least 55% of women in substance abuse treatment have had a traumatic
experience (most commonly childhood physical/sexual abuse, domestic
violence or rape).
• Women with substance abuse disorders are about twice as likely as men to
qualify for a PTSD diagnosis.
• Of women in substance abuse treatment who have a past traumatic
experience, 33-59% are experiencing current symptoms of PTSD.
Treatment Implications
• Becoming abstinent from substances DOES NOT generally improve symptoms
of PTSD (though it does reduce the likelihood of future traumatic experiences),
• Clients should receive concurrent or integrated help for Trauma symptoms in
order to improve long term odds for sobriety
• Teaching specific coping skills for PTSD symptoms early in treatment is often
associated with better outcomes in substance abuse treatment
Information sourced from SAMSA publication TIP #42 – Substance Abuse Treatment for Persons
with Co-Occurring disorders
http://store.samhsa.gov/product/TIP-42-Substance-Abuse-Treatment-for-Persons-With-CoOccurring-Disorders/SMA13-3992