Substance abuse treatment 'needed for returning troops'

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by Change | 8 Jan 2009

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US troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan require substance abuse rehabilitation treatment which can take additional factors such as post-traumatic stress disorder into account, experts claims.

Alcohol and drug abuse treatment centers could be needed to help US troops returning from Iraq to readjust after combat, a source reveals.

Experts are examining methods of dealing with addiction problems made worse by the psychological conditions of this type of patient, Reuters reports.

Nora Volkow, MD, the director of the National Institute of Health's National Institute on Drug Abuse, states: "substance abuse disorders are much more prevalent among individuals that have been exposed to war environments."

She tells the news provider that if these patients do not receive adequate attention, which can include a visit to addiction rehabilitation centers, their outcome "can be very poor".

Department of Veterans Affairs head Thomas Kosten, MD, claims the complication presented by post-traumatic stress disorder can make substance abuse much more difficult to treat.

He suggests those in charge of treating soldiers are seeing things which have not been encountered before, making the task more difficult, the source reports.

In other news, a National Institute on drug abuse report claims more attention must be given to the relationship between substance addiction and other mental illnesses.

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