Despite the risks associated with self-medicating for mental health issues, cannabis use may not be as disruptive to typical posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) therapy as once assumed, a Rutgers study has found. “Some providers believe cannabis use impedes PTSD treatment, and that cannabis use while in PTSD therapy could increase drop-out rates and exacerbate symptoms,” said Tanya C. Saraiya, an assistant professor at the Rutgers Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology and coauthor of the study published in the Journal of Anxiety Disorders. “Our findings challenge this assumption.”
As rates of posttraumatic stress climb in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, many Americans are turning to cannabis – both medical and recreational – and other substances to cope. Amid this increase in self-medication, psychologists are keen to understand how people with both substance-use disorders and PTSD diagnoses respond to two forms of treatment: trauma-focused and non-trauma-focused. In trauma-focused treatment, patients are guided to examine the root causes of their suffering by talking about the traumas they experienced through talk therapy. Non-trauma-focused approaches – such as relaxation techniques – seek to reduce PTSD symptoms but not by directly talking about the traumas or addressing the feelings related to the traumatic event. To read the full story.