There are various addictive substances such as drugs, alcohol, cocaine etc. The addiction to such substances can lead to addiction. Such substances have adverse effects and can affect the physical and mental health of an individual. In order to get rid of such addictions it is necessary to take medical intervention and counselling therapy.
Jagruti Rehab Centre is one of the best psychiatrist hospital in Mumbai which caters to all such mental health disorders. When we talk about addiction, we also need to consider another important aspect which is related to it which is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. In this blog we shall be discussing the various aspects related to it.
How does PTSD relate to addiction?
PTSD is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. It is a mental health disorder which is caused by witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event. This usually happens when a person has experienced a physical or mental assault, lost a near and dear one, witnessed an accident or a natural disaster.
The trauma that one goes through leads to a lot of stress after the event. In order to cope with that stress one resorts to addiction. Many people who are having some form of an addiction which leads to substance abuse. The idea behind substance abuse is to avoid or nullify the signs and symptoms which occur due to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Patients with PTSD tend to get violent and often suffer from panic attacks. Witnessing and handling such violent incidents is often painful for the family and friends. The patient therefore feels guilty after the episode and in order to overcome that guilt uses a negative coping method.
Addiction is usually a co-occurrence of PTSD. Addiction is usually seen with alcohol and drugs. At Jagruti Rehab Centre the patient is examined medically and an in-depth history is taken which helps the doctor understand the underlying root cause of the PTSD. Often, once such cause is diagnosed the patient is given the treatment options of psychotherapy coupled with medication with the least possible side-effects.
Addiction is a negative and unhealthy coping method for PTSD an if left unattended and undiagnosed it can lead to serious mental and physical health disorders.
Relationship between PTSD and addiction
As per a study, patients who are suffering from PTSD are three times more likely to suffer from addiction. It is usually a co-occurrence. The main idea behind addiction is to get relief albeit temporarily from the guilt, fear, anxiety and panic attacks.
The patient feels that they can get over the symptoms or completely avoid them by binge drinking or using drugs. However, that is not the case. Such a tendency makes a person dependent over such substances leading to an addiction in the long run. Jagruti Rehab Centre is one of the best mental hospital in Pune.
What are the 5 signs of PTSD?
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder usually manifests itself through various changes in the person’s overall behaviour.
Here are a few signs of PTSD
- Changes in attitude and behaviour. It often leads to mood changes and irritability as well as anger and panic attacks.
- Difference in concentration and inability to focus.
- Sleep disorders such as insomnia in which there is difficulty in sleeping.
- Avoidance and social isolation-Patients suffering from PTSD usually start avoiding people, events and social gatherings. They feel like isolating themselves as going out often leads to fear, anxiety and panic attacks.
- They inadvertently try to relive their nightmares. This may be either intentional or unintentional through nightmares and flashbacks. It may also be triggered by a certain smell, a sight, a sound, photograph, memory or a similar encounter.
Correlation between trauma and addiction
Addiction and substance abuse is often the most common occurrence seen in patients with PTSD. It is also seen in cases of depression and anxiety. It is a vicious cycle in which the patient who has witnessed or experienced the trauma experiences stress and anxiety after the traumatic incident.
The various mood changes and behavioural changes lead to the patient using a negative coping method. One such method is indulging in drugs or alcohol. It reaches a stage where the patient can no longer live without it leading to an addiction. Hence, the trauma that he or she has experienced culminated into addiction.
It is usually seen in military personnel, war veterans etc. who have witnessed traumatic incidences. There is a tendency of heavy binge drinking which leads to various health disorders.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Causes
- One of the leading causes of PTSD is combat exposure.
- It may also be exposure to physical or mental abuse in early childhood.
- Exposure to traumatic events at work. This may also be seen in cases of remote exposure.
- Person with severe medical problems and who has received intensive care for a long duration of time.
- Accidents
- Natural disasters.
- Grief especially when someone loses someone very close to them.
- Childbirth experiences.
At Jagruti Rehab Centre all such causes of PTSD are taken into consideration and then after discussing with the patient, a comprehensive treatment plan is made. There are various treatment options which are mentioned below.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Treatment
Once the case history is taken and diagnosis is made, the next step is making a treatment plan that is tailor-made to the needs of the patient.
Here are a few treatment modalities for the treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
- Psychotherapy: This includes various treatment options such as cognitive therapy, exposure therapy and EMDR(Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
- Medication: Anti-depressant medicines, anti-anxiety medicines and Prazosin
- Counselling
- Medication
The doctor will discuss all these options with the patient and once the treatment has been started, the severity of these symptoms goes down and patient condition improves.