A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Treatment of Co-occurring Opioid Use Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Daisy J Goodman1, Catherine U Milliken2, Regan N Theiler1

  • 1a Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and Geisel School of Medicine , Lebanon , New Hampshire , USA.

Journal of Dual Diagnosis
|October 13, 2015
PubMed

Perinatal opioid use disorders negatively impact maternal and neonatal outcomes and are a public health problem of increasing severity. More than half of women with a substance use disorder have a history of posttraumatic stress disorder that, if not adequately addressed, can impede substance use disorder treatment. This case report describes complexities in the treatment of a pregnant woman with opioid use disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder and reviews the psychotherapeutic and pharmacologic approaches available to treat these co-occurring disorders in pregnancy. This case demonstrates the importance of early screening and intervention for co-occurring posttraumatic stress disorder in pregnant women who use substances in a closely coordinated, multidisciplinary approach to improve outcomes for women and their infants.

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