Post-traumatic stress disorder among inner city methadone maintenance patients

There has been little attention to the problem of violent stressors leading to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among opioid-dependent patients. In a sample of methadone maintenance patients, the prevalence of lifetime PTSD was determined to be 20% for women and 11% for men. The most common stressors reported were rape for women and seeing someone hurt or killed for men. Further research with methadone patients focused on PTSD should also ascertain current rates of PTSD and determine whether special treatments for PTSD and related problems of depression and suicidal ideation are necessary.