Texas University: A new cognitive behavioral therapy designed to treat both
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorders is the
focus of research at The University of Texas Health Science Center at
Houston (UTHealth) Medical School.
The therapy, called Treatment of Integrated Post-traumatic Stress and Substance Use (TIPSS), was developed by Anka Vujanovic, Ph.D., who leads the Trauma and Addiction Research Program at the UTHealth Center for Neurobehavioral Research on Addiction in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.
PTSD results from exposure to a traumatic event, defined as actual or
threatened death, serious injury or sexual violence against self or
others. It is associated with significant functional impairment and
negative health outcomes.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, symptoms
include reliving the trauma over and over, bad dreams and frightening
thoughts. People with PTSD may have feelings of strong guilt, depression
or worry and they may lose interest in activities that were enjoyable
in the past. They also may be easily startled, feel tense, have trouble
sleeping and/or have angry outbursts.
Previous research has indicated that PTSD carries a substantially
elevated risk for substance use disorders and it has been documented as a
significant risk factor for worse substance abuse treatment outcomes.
“Treatment for PTSD has historically been done separately from
treatment for substance use disorders,” said Vujanovic, UTHealth
assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences. “We are
testing an evidence-based integrated treatment designed to target both
in the same therapy with the goal of improving outcomes.” To do so,
Vujanovic and colleagues are comparing TIPSS to standard
cognitive-behavioral treatment for substance use disorders.
Both types of treatment focus on noticing thoughts and feelings and
how they affect drug use and other behaviors. TIPSS also involves
talking about PTSD symptoms, building distress tolerance skills,
reflecting on the impact of the trauma and substance abuse and
challenging problematic thinking patterns related to the trauma and the
substance abuse.
The study is funded by a $412,000 Career Development Award grant from
the National Institutes of Health/UTHealth Clinical and Translational
Sciences (KL2TR000370-07).
Adults between the ages of 18-65 who have experienced trauma and are
using drugs or alcohol regularly may qualify. Researchers will enroll
100 patients until the end of 2016. Study participants will be
randomized into two groups: standard treatment or TIPSS and will meet
with a counselor 12 times over six weeks. For more information, call
713-500-3784.
Deborah Mann Lake
Media Hotline: 713-500-3030