Fear and PTSD: Underlying Causes of Substance Abuse and Violence

Dr. Ressler reviews scientific literature on the role of child abuse and civilian trauma exposure on risk for Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance abuse, which contribute to ongoing cycles of violence in at-risk communities. Dr. Ressler is the Director of the Grady Trauma Project in Atlanta, Georgia, and Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. In Atlanta, the project has interviewed a cohort of over 10,000 subjects from inner-city Atlanta, and they find that the rates of PTSD and Depression are higher than in our military veterans.

These disorders, which result in part from trauma exposure during development, significantly increase likelihood of substance abuse and violent behavior, explaining a significant percentage of the high risk for criminal behavior and arrest in this population. Dr. Ressler reviews the neuroscience of trauma, PTSD, and substance abuse comorbidity, and explains how dissemination of accepted treatment approaches targeting these disorders could reduce recidivism and decrease cycles of violence.

Dr. Ressler spoke during the ABA Criminal Justice Section's Spring CLE "Neuroscience: Paving the Way for Criminal Justice Reform" on April 29 in Albuquerque, New Mexico.