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Letters to the Editor

Published Online: 1 October 2006

Antisocial Personality Disorder as a Confounder in PTSD and Substance Use Disorders

AKEEM SULE, M.R.C.Psych. and KATHLEEN I. KELLY, M.R.C.Psych.Authors Info & Affiliations

Publication: American Journal of Psychiatry

https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.2006.163.10.1840

To the Editor: We noted that although Katherine L. Mills, Ph.D, and colleagues (1) screened for individual personality disorders, these personality disorders were analyzed as a homogeneous group. Furthermore, antisocial personality disorder was absent.

We feel that antisocial personality disorder could be a confounding factor in this study. It is associated with substance use disorders (2, 3) and is also a risk factor for exposure to traumatic events (4) .

The authors concluded that individuals with substance use disorders plus posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were young, unmarried, not in a relationship, and receiving government allowances. These findings could be explained by the presence of antisocial personality disorder.

References

Mills KL, Teeson M, Ross J, Peters L: Trauma, PTSD, and substance use disorders: findings from the Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Well-Being. Am J Psychiatry 2006; 163:651–658

Google Scholar

Hessleback MN: Childhood behaviour problems and adult antisocial personality in alcoholism, in Psychopathology and Addictive Disorders, Meyer RE (ed.). New York, Guilford Press, 1986, pp 78-94

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Kessler RC, Nelson CB, McGonagle KA, Edlund MJ, Frank RG, Leaf PJ: The epidemiology of co-occuring addictive and mental disorders: implications for prevention and service utilisation. Am J Orthopsychiatry 1996; 66:17–31

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Jang KL, Stein MB, Taylor S, Asmundson GJ, Livesley WJ: Exposure to traumatic events and experiences: aetiological relationships with personality function. Psychiatry Res 2003; 120:61–69

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Information & Authors

Information

Published In

American Journal of Psychiatry

Volume 163 • Number 10 • October, 2006

Pages: 1840

PubMed: 17012703

History

Published online: 1 October 2006

Published in print: October, 2006

Authors

Details

AKEEM SULE, M.R.C.Psych.

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KATHLEEN I. KELLY, M.R.C.Psych.

Oxford, U.K.

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Antisocial Personality Disorder as a Confounder in PTSD and Substance Use Disorders

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