Trauma and substance abuse

Streaming video - 2014

"One patient who I talked to said that she had to lie to be able to get adequate treatment for both disorders. She was told when she went to a PTSD treatment program that she couldn't have substance abuse or she wouldn't be able to get treatment, she had to be clean first. And it's a message a lot of people have heard." Lisa Najavits. Clinical studies of patients in substance abuse treatment programs have shown a high correlation with a client history of trauma. The schism between the trauma and substance abuse treatment fields has meant that patients have been forced to bounce back and forth between PTSD and substance abuse treatment programs, and often are viewed as poor-prognosis. Now, however, model programs are... being developed that seek to treat these problems in an integrated fashion. This video series describes the special trauma and substance abuse treatment issues that this dual diagnosis presents. Four survivors of child abuse and/or combat relate how trauma and substance abuse have impacted their lives. more