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Adult ADHD with SUD: Red flags for abused stimulants, PTSD
Author(s) -
Knopf Alison
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
alcoholism and drug abuse weekly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1556-7591
pISSN - 1042-1394
DOI - 10.1002/adaw.32145
Subject(s) - psychiatry , addiction , stimulant , psychology , attention deficit hyperactivity disorder , flags register , substance abuse , anxiety , clinical psychology , computer science , operating system
Stimulant medications are often the basis of the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children, but when adults who have substance use disorders (SUDs) present with this disorder and ask for stimulants, there can be many questions about the proper treatment. James Berry, M.D., presenting at the Cape Cod Symposium on Addictive Disorders in September, believes that ADHD in adults who also misuse substances is characterized by attachment disorder. Berry, whose presentation was supported by the New England chapter of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, explained that in early childhood, a bond forms with parent figures, which is the basis for both future connections with others and for a healthy internal state, he said. “Failure to achieve this can lead to issues of trust, inability to self‐soothe, chronic anxiety and stress,” he said.