MODERN VIEWS ON THE MANIFESTATIONS, MECHANISMS, AND APPROACHES TO THE TREATMENT OF POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER ASSOCIATED WITH ALCOHOL USE DISORDERS IN COMBATANTS

Abstract

The war imposes a huge psychological burden on the population of Ukraine, which is accompanied by an increase in the frequency of mental and behavioral disorders among both the general population and combatants. Military operations have a significant impact on the personality and are the main cause of combat mental trauma, acute stress and post-traumatic stress disorders, especially taking into account the complex and stressful nature of modern military work, the use of super-powerful means of destruction with various impact factors. In the context of active military operations in Ukraine, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has become an extremely important health problem for combatants and the civilian population. The generalization of the experience of studying combat PTSD since the concept was introduced into psychiatric practice (1980) indicates its multifactorial nature.Scientific novelty. The variety of combinations of psychogenic, endogenous and somatogenic etiopathogenetic factors and their combinations determines the polymorphism of clinical symptoms, the frequency of comorbid and addictive conditions. Clinical manifestations are repeated experiences of elements of the traumatic event in a “here and now” situation, which can manifest as anxiety and panic, sometimes anger, rage, feelings of guilt or hopelessness, and a desire to avoid internal and external stimuli associated with the stressor. Symptoms usually occur within six months of the stressful event, with triggering events that can cause distress in almost any person, which has long-term consequences in the form of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and is not always diagnosed and therefore does not receive effective treatment in a timely manner.The research objective is to identify clinical specific symptoms of PTSD complicated by addictive and other comorbid pathologies in combat participants.Results. The clinical symptoms of PTSD and their frequency were assessed: the most frequent manifestations in combatants with isolated PTSD were avoidance symptoms (88.66 ± 2.58%), obsessive behavior (51.33 ± 4.08%) and excessive arousal (50.66 ± 4.08%) were recorded in half, and detachment and numbness were recorded in only a fifth of patients (20.66 ± 3.31%) Conclusion. In addition to the above symptoms, signs of general deterioration of health were quite widespread, which were noted in 379 (88.02 ± 5.16%) of the surveyed. A fairly large number of respondents noted the presence of behavioral disorders in the form of increased irritability – 20.75 ± 5.57%, nervousness – 30.19 ± 6.31%, apathy – 16.98 ± 5.16% and inhibition – 11.32 ± 4.35%. Half of the participants had a high level of alcohol consumption, consumption of tobacco products, insufficient sleep of poor quality, and a low level of motor activity.