Institute for Research
Education, and
Training in Addictions
Dear Colleagues,
In the wake of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina, our hearts go out to all those
affected by the disaster. As recovery efforts move forward, many people outside of the South
East are being affected by the tragedy. From relief workers and law enforcement personnel
brought in from other venues to relatives of Gulf Coast residents, the emotional impact of the
Hurricane is bound to be geographically wide, profound and lasting in its effects. It is in such
times of high stress that we in the substance use disorder field are particularly concerned about
the vulnerabilities of persons in recovery and persons who may use alcohol and other drugs to
attempt to manage their stress.
While many of you may have some knowledge of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), we
wanted to make sure that everyone who needs more extensive resources will know where to
find them. To that end, we have gathered a list of resources relating to PTSD and Substance
Use Disorders that may be useful to you. While the National ATTC has compiled a wonderful
list of resources and facts accessible online (the first resource noted on our list), many of the
resources we provide can be easily printed and distributed to staff who do not have readily
available internet access.
This resource list includes facts on PTSD and Substance Use Disorders among the general and
special populations and annotated bibliographies with many peer-reviewed, evidence-based
articles. The resource list also include information relating to the clinical basis for the link
between Substance Use Disorders and PTSD, strategies for effectively treating each disorder
separately or as co-occurring problems, and links to sites where health care professionals can
volunteer to help survivors of the hurricane.
We hope you will find these resources helpful while we, as a country, work together to recover
from this catastrophe.
Sincerely,
Michael T. Flaherty, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Regional Enterprise Tower
425 Sixth Avenue
Suite 1710
Pittsburgh, PA 15219
Telephone: 412 391-4449
Fax:
412 391-2528
Substance Use Disorders and Post Traumatic Stress Disorders – Resources
National ATTC Website Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) & Substance Use Disorders
http://www.nattc.org/resPubs/trauma/katrina.htm
This special section of the NATTC website is devoted to responding to a need for PTSD information
in an effort to aid recovery from Hurricane Katrina. It includes sections on stages of traumatic stress
management, symptoms of PTSD, treatment of PTSD, treatment of persons with both PTSD and
substance use disorders, and many other useful resources. It also includes links to other sites that
contain information on PTSD.
SAMHSA/CSAT Disaster Recovery Website http://www.samhsa.gov/csatdisasterrecovery/resources.htm
This site includes annotated bibliographies on the following topics: “Terrorism, Natural Disasters, and
Substance Abuse,” “Substance Abuse/Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Bibliography 1: Treatment,”
Substance Abuse/Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Bibliography 2: Special Populations,” “Substance
Abuse/Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Bibliography 3: Women,” “Substance Abuse/Posttraumatic
Stress Disorder Bibliography 4: Adolescents,” “Substance Abuse/Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Bibliography 5: Ethnicity,” “Substance Abuse/Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Bibliography 6: First
Responders,” and “Substance Abuse/Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Bibliography 7: PTSD and
Disasters.” The site also contains a report on “Traumatic Events and Substance Abuse” by H.
Westley Clark.
CSAP's Central Center for the Application of Prevention Technologies
http://www.ccapt.org/PTSD_facts.html
This site contains a Substance Use Disorder and PTSD Fact Sheet. It includes topics on “General
Information,” “War Veterans,” “Gender Differences,” “Youth,” “Comorbidity,” and “Treatment” with
links to other relevant articles.
Project CORK: CORK Bibliography: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
http://www.projectcork.org/bibliographies/data/Bibliography_PTSD.html
This site contains an annotated bibliography on PTSD from Project CORK whose mission is to
assemble and disseminate current, authoritative information on substance use disorders for
clinicians, health care providers, human service personnel, and policy makers. Project Cork produces
a bibliographic database, offers current awareness services, produces resource materials, responds
to queries, and collaborates in professional education efforts. The CORK database of more than
61,000 holdings is searchable online.
L.M. Najavits. (2004). “Numbing the Pain: The Link Between Trauma, Posttraumatic Stress
Disorder, and Substance Abuse.” Counselor, The Magazine for Addiction Professionals, 5(5), 1217. http://www.counselormagazine.com/display_article.asp?aid=oct04PTSDSUD.htm
“After experiencing a trauma, many people heal naturally over time. But about one-third develop
posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Kessler, Sonnega, Bromet, Hughes, & Nelson, 1995). PTSD
means staying “stuck” in the trauma, unable to successfully cope and go on with normal life…. Rates
of current PTSD among clients in treatment for substance use disorder (SUD) range from 11 percent
to 59 percent (Najavits et al., 2003; Najavits et al., 1997). Aside from numbers, the suffering
associated with this dual diagnosis can be extreme, including heightened risk for additional cooccurring medical and mental health disorders, associated life problems (such as homelessness, HIV,
poverty, suicidality, work and relationship problems), vulnerability to further trauma, and difficulties
engaging in treatment (K. T. Brady, Killeen, Saladin, Dansky, & Becker, 1994; D. A. Hien, Nunes,
Levin, & Fraser, 2000; Najavits, Gastfriend et al., 1998; Najavits et al., 1997; P. Ouimette & Brown,
2002; P. C. Ouimette, Finney, & Moos, 1999).”
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Ruzek JI, Polusny MA, Abueg FR. (1998). “Assessment and Treatment of Concurrent Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder and Substance Abuse.” In Follette VM, Ruzek JI, Abueg FR (eds).
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapies for Trauma. New York, Guilford Press, pp 226–255.
http://mirecc.stanford.edu/PTSD%20Education%20Docs/Concurrent%20PTSD_SA.pdf
“The trauma survivor is often a consumer of alcohol and other drugs, and understanding the
frequently observed concurrence of substance abuse and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has
important implications for clinical practice. Ongoing substance use disorders abuse limits trauma
survivors' abilities to activate adaptive coping repertoires, mobilize social support, and engage in
trauma-focused treatments. Substance-abusing individuals are also particularly vulnerable to
experiencing victimization and other traumatic events while intoxicated. Moreover, posttraumatic
symptomatology may be associated with poorer substance-abuse treatment outcomes and earlier
relapse. In this chapter, we summarize the empirical literature on the interactions between trauma
exposure, PTSD, and substance abuse problems. Aspects of a model for understanding the
relationship between these psychological phenomena are reviewed. Finally, we propose a set of
clinical guidelines for the assessment and treatment of individuals with concurrent PTSD and
substance abuse. Case material from our clinical work with two clients is provided to illustrate several
of these guidelines.”
Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/
This site provides a good overview of what PTSD is, treatment for PTSD, PTSD and special
populations, and many more topics including specific resources on co-occurring substance use
disorders: (http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/facts/specific/petrakis.html and
http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/facts/specific/fs_alcohol.html.) There is also a fact sheet on risk factors
(http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/facts/disasters/fs_riskfactors.html) and a links section
(http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/links.html) to link to other resources such as the sites for Anxiety Disorders
of America and the National Institute for Mental Health to address other mood disorders that may be
the result of a traumatic event but not be PTSD.
Department of Health and Human Services – Health Care Professionals and Relief Personnel Worker
Page https://volunteer.ccrf.hhs.gov/
This site tells you who to contact if you would like to volunteer as a health care professional for the
government during the Hurricane Katrina relief effort.
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