DR. BRADY AND DR. BACK...CONCURRENT PTSD AND SUD TREATMENT

This podcast features Dr. Kathleen Brady and Dr. Sudie Back, two world-renowned, prolific researchers and clinicians who have devoted their careers to studying the complicated interrelationship between PTSD and Substance Use Disorders. People with PTSD are 2 to 5 times more likely to have a Substance Use Disorder and, among people seeking treatment for SUD, 20-60% have PTSD. For years, treatment centers have acted on the myth that we need to treat the patient sequentially...treat the Substance Use Disorder first, then treat the PTSD. Research shows that treating the Substance Use Disorder does not lead to a reduction in PTSD symptoms. Dr. Kathleen Brady and Dr. Sudie Back share the research supporting their successful, widely used COPE MANUAL, a treatment manual that treats both PTSD and Substance Use Disorder concurrently using prolonged exposure under the direction of one trained therapist. The experts engage in a lively discussion regarding the nature of PTSD, the brain changes underlying the disorder, the differences between men and women, how PTSD affects the person's beliefs about themselves and the world around them. Prolonged exposure (imaginal and in vivo) is explained in depth, in addition to coping skills taught by the manual aimed at coping with cravings and relapse prevention. In addition, Dr. Brady discusses some FDA approved medications that may be helpful adjuncts for the person struggling with PTSD and Substance Use Disorder.