Clinical Review
Alcohol Abuse in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Identification and Intervention
Fed Pract. 2009 August;26(8):32
Author and Disclosure Information
Christopher R. Erbes, PhD, Melissa A. Polusny, PhD, Michael Dieperink, MD, PhD, Jennie Leskela, PhD, Gabriel Nelson, MA, and Abby Seifert, BA
Dr. Erbes is the program coordinator for the Posttraumatic Stress Recovery Team (PTSR); Dr. Polusny is a staff psychologist for the PTSR and a core investigator for the Center for Chronic Disease Outcome Research; Dr. Dieperink is the director of the mental health patient service line; and Dr. Leskela is the chief of psychology, all at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center (MVAMC), Minneapolis, MN. Mr. Nelson is a graduate student in the psychology department at Minnesota State University, Mankato. At the time this study was conducted, Ms. Seifert was a research assistant at the MVAMC. She is now a graduate student in the department of psychology at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo. In addition, Dr. Erbes is an assistant professor, Dr. Polusny is an associate professor, and Dr. Dieperink and Dr. Leskela are assistant professors, all in the department of psychiatry at University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis.
There’s general agreement that screening for alcohol abuse or dependence is an important part of PTSD treatment, but is the screening occurring—and are patients who screen positive receiving appropriate referral?