A new study has shown that post-traumatic stress disorder may be more common among people with drug and alcohol addiction than was previously thought, and it also makes addiction recovery more difficult.

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a type of mental illness that develops after an individual is exposed to a terrifying event that threatened or caused physical harm. It is marked by very high levels of anxiety. People develop post-traumatic stress disorder because they were unable to psychologically handle the event. Many turn to drug and alcohol addiction to help them deal with the aftermath.

In this research that involved 459 participants, 34 percent were seeking help for a drug addiction, 40 percent were in treatment for alcoholism, and 27 percent were dealing with both of these conditions. The study showed that up to half of these individuals who were getting help for a substance abuse problem also had post-traumatic stress disorder. The participants with the mental illness had worse chances of maintaining long-term addiction recovery. In addition, they were more likely to have other significant problems in their lives. These most frequently included other psychological problems, unemployment, and issues in family relationships.

Post-traumatic stress disorder was about twice as common for people who suffered from drug addiction. About 15 percent of the individuals with alcoholism had it, and approximately 30 percent of those with a drug addiction did.

Post-traumatic stress disorder and substance addiction are a less commonly mentioned form of dual diagnosis. A lot of the focus seems to be on addicts who have depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, or personality disorders. However, this research shows that post-traumatic stress disorder is a very common element of dual diagnosis patients. There are a number of treatment facilities available which specialize in helping people who deal with mental illness and substance abuse at the same time.

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