A survey of Vietnam combat Veterans was conducted to test whether experiences of abusive violence toward enemies or noncombatants were directly and/or indirectly linked with drug or alcohol problems and/or suicidality via posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or guilt. Forty percent of the sample witnessed and/or were directly involved in acts of abusive violence while deployed in Vietnam. These experiences were indirectly linked with substance abuse via PTSD, and both indirectly and directly linked with suicidality via PTSD.

Background Impulsivity has been proposed as an important factor in the initiation and maintenance of addiction. Indirect evidence suggests that some methamphetamine users report less impulsivity when they are using methamphetamine compared to when abstinent, but this hypothesis has not been directly tested. Objectives/Methods In this study, self-reports of impulsivity were obtained from 32 methamphetamine-dependent (DSM-IV) research participants and 41 healthy control subjects, using the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11. The methamphetamine users were assessed during an active period of methamphetamine use, as determined through urinalysis, and again after approximately one week of confirmed abstinence. Control subjects likewise completed two assessments. A subset of participants also completed serial assessments of the Beck Depression Inventory (Methamphetamine Group, N = 17, Control Group, N = 38) and the Methamphetamine Withdrawal Questionnaire (Methamphetamine Group, N = 12). Results There was a significant interaction of group with time on impulsivity (p = 0.044), reflecting a significant increase from the first to the second assessment in the methamphetamine users (p=0.013), but no change among healthy control subjects. In contrast, depressive and withdrawal symptoms significantly decreased between the first and second assessment in the methamphetamine users (p’s ≤ 0.01). Change in impulsivity in methamphetamine users was not significantly correlated with change in withdrawal or depression (p’s > 0.05). Conclusions These findings suggest that methamphetamine users report more impulsivity when abstaining from drug use, an effect that is not significantly related to methamphetamine withdrawal. Attenuation of impulsivity may reinforce continued methamphetamine use in these individuals.