The frequency and characteristics of comorbidity symptoms of PTSD in patients with substance use disorder in Ibn-Rushud hospital in Baghdad/Iraq

In humans, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorder(SUD) are very closely related, both are chronic and relapsing disorders and share some comparable symptoms, such as anxiety, insomnia, hyperarousal, social isolation, and emotional numbing, this leads to more treatment sessions, poorer treatment outcomes, longer duration of substance use, and more relapsing episodes. The aim of this study is to determine the frequency of concurrent PTSD in patients complaining from SUD, and to identify the characteristics and severity of trauma experienced. A cross-sectional study examines the frequency of co-occurring PTSD symptoms for 50 patients admitted to the Ibn-Rushud Psychiatric Training Hospital in Baghdad from January to April 2022. Patients with SUD had been diagnosed by psychiatrists according to (ICD 10) criteria, and were interviewed about traumatic experiences using the CAPS (Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale), which is reliable and used by most of the psychiatrists globally.  22% of patients with SUD have very high and high PTSD symptoms, especially the arousal, reactivity, and avoidance symptoms which are more prevalent in tramadol abusers and proportional to the long duration of abuse. There is a high rate of comorbidity between the occurrence of PTSD and SUD. Symptoms that cause excessive alertness and response that include, being susceptible to shock, experiencing difficulty sleeping, feeling tense or irritable, and struggling with concentration are the commonest symptoms, which result in poorer treatment outcomes, longer duration of substance use, and more treatment episodes.