A new report finds that 45 percent of people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) smoke cigarettes, 52 percent have been diagnosed with alcohol abuse or dependence, and 35 percent have been diagnosed with drug abuse or dependence, the Navy Times reported Feb. 20.

The smoking rate among people with PTSD is about double that of the general population, as is the rate of alcohol abuse and dependence. The drug addiction and dependence rate is almost three times that of the general adult population.

The authors of the report, "PTSD and Health Risk Behavior," said the high addiction rates may be because many PTSD victims try to use alcohol and other drugs to self-medicate. Heavy use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, along with the fact that people with PTSD are more likely to be overweight or obese, also may explain why other research has shown that veterans with PTSD tend to have more heart problems.

"Early detection and sustained intervention for PTSD should be a standard of care for person primarily seeking help for substance use disorder," said researchers Miles McFall and Jessica Cook of the Mental Illness Research Center at the VA's Puget Sound Health Care System.

The study appears in the Fall 2006 issue of the National PTSD Quarterly; read a PDF version of the "PTSD and Health Risk Behavior" publication.