Comorbidity is the concurrent existence of two or more diseases in a victim. The comorbidity of anxiety syndromes with substance use disorders is utterly common (Turner et al., 2018). Post-traumatic stress disorders, anxiety, depression, and mood conditions develop after a disaster or a traumatic event (Alexander et al., 2018). The comorbidity is complicated because substance abuse may result in an individual from efforts to self-medicate the agonizing signs of post-traumatic stress syndrome. Therefore, when people withdraw from drug use, the symptoms become severe, leading to addiction. This paper concerns the self-medication hypothesis to illustrate how post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorder may develop.
The hypothesis of self-medication is one of the mechanisms that can expound the comorbidity between post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety illness. It was described as a mental clarification method for comorbidity in 1985 (Turner et al., 2018). A survey was conducted to establish the prevalence of self-medication with drugs and alcohol among a population with post-traumatic stress disorder. The results indicated that the prevalence varied from 21% to 24% (Turner et al., 2018). Being divorced, separated, or widowed were the features related to higher proportions of respondents endorsing self-medication with alcohol and drugs to reduce the effects of anxiety and depression.
The reasons why the self-medication hypothesis is the preferred model are detailed further. It is supportive to healthcare as it offers a clear pathway to suffers from exiting addiction, which, in turn, enhances the bond between specialists and victims, it improves access to dosages, and it may also decrease the cost of a prescribed drug. A female neighbor who developed substance use ailment after being raped by unknown people is a perfect example of the hypothesis. The woman started drinking alcohol to suppress the effects caused by the trauma, and, as a result, she developed an addiction. Therefore, post-traumatic stress disorder relates directly to substance use problems in individuals. The risk factors for traumatic stress should be avoided since they will further worsen the pre-existing medical condition, for instance, high blood pressure or diabetes mellitus. Provision of alternative coping techniques to anxiety and pressure patients may reduce comorbidity.
References
Alexander, A. C., & Ward, K. D. (2018). Understanding post-disaster substance use and psychological distress using concepts from the self-medication hypothesis and social cognitive theory. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 50(2), 177-186. Web.
Turner, S., Mota, N., Bolton, J., & Sareen, J. (2018). Selfâmedication with alcohol or drugs for mood and anxiety disorders: A narrative review of the epidemiological literature. Depression and Anxiety, 35(9), 851-860. Web.