The prevalence of PTSD is higher in drug than in alcohol dependence. The more strictly PTSD is diagnosed (by interviewer and questionnaire) the more clearly are associations with characteristics of SUD. PTSD seems to be an independent risk factor for an unfavorable outcome of SUD.
Illicit drug use can lead to acute reverse reactions leading to the admission to emergency departments. Cocaine-related emergencies have been monitored in the USA, but not in Europe so far. The study investigates patterns of cocaine emergencies in eight European cities in a multicentre cross-sectional study conducted in Barcelona, Budapest, Dublin, Hamburg, London, Rome, Vienna and Zurich. The reported frequency differs from city to city, with some emergency centres having less than one case per half year, and some centres having more than one case per month. Patterns of complaints among cocaine users are associated with the psychomotor-stimulant or cardiovascular effects of cocaine. Urine screens and referrals to the addiction services are infrequent. A closer link between the emergency departments and addiction services would help in guiding problematic drug users towards appropriate treatment at an earlier stage in the addiction process.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.