Response to classmate DB 100 words need :
There are many factors that can be co-occuring elements in a persons substance abuse disorder. The three I chose to address are sociopathic personality disorder, oppositional defiant disorder and post traumatic stress disorder.
A personality disorder, of any kind, surely adds complexity to the issue of substance abuse. This, in part, is because certain symtoms will still be at work in the individual whether they are abusing a substance or not . In some instances, such as with the case of oppositional defiant disorder or sociopathology, the pre frontal cortex is not developed in the area of impulse control and foreseeing of consequence enough to make a lot of substance abuse intervention techniques successful. It would be helpful, for these clients with these disorders specificcally, to be in a program that also addressed the issue of behavioral control outside of the SUD issue ( Doweiko, 2012).
Doweiko also states that, in the case of dually existant disorders, "The assessor must have the ability to distinguish the signs and symptoms of the primary psychiatric illness from those caused or exacerbated by a primary SUD"( Doweiko, 2012, pg 317). It is imoportant to be able to distinguish between substance induced psychiatric problems and those that were existant before the substance abuse even began. For this reason an accurate clinical history of the client would be very helpful to have as the treating professional for those with SUDs (Doweiko, 2012).
A person suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, espeically in the situation of having developed PTSD from former traumatic abuse via victumization, where the part of the brain (again frontal and prefrontal cortex) that govern and anticipate consequences of behavior, have been stunted in maturation ( Doweiko, 2012) is going to have a harder time with normal rehabilitation without further help and intervention. Thisd is because even in the absense of substance abuse the ground that was fertile to obtain an abuse disorder will remain unchanged and vulnerable, as it was before treatment, if not addressed and adequately healed or given tools to function in a stronger more self regulated manner.