Jornal de transtornos e tratamento de estresse traumático

PTSD, Pain Medication and Addiction of Refugees in Iraq

Jan Ilhan Kizilhan

The relationship of pain medication uses with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis was investigated among a sample of 213 Kurdish outpatients in refugee camps in Kurdistan-Region in Northern Iraq. One hundred twenty-four (58%) of the participants met DSM-V PTSD criteria. Those with PTSD had significantly higher use of pain medication (82%), as compared with non-PTSD patients (47%). Female (54%) with a Posttraumatic Stress Disorder had higher use than male (4%) of pain medication. For the effective treatment of trauma in relation to chronic pain and medication use, it is necessary to have a multi-modal, interdisciplinary and culture-sensitive approach when treating.