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Childhood adversity and substance misuse

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2014

Anita Ambreen Taj ,
Eamon Keenan  and
Patricia Casey
Anita Ambreen Taj*
Affiliation:
The Mater Hospital, 63 Eccles St, Dublin 7, Ireland
Eamon Keenan
Affiliation:
Drug Treatment Centre Board, Trinity Court, 30-31 Pearse St, Dublin 2, Ireland
Patricia Casey
Affiliation:
Department of Adult Psychiatry, The Mater Hospital, 63 Eccles St, Dublin 7, Ireland
*
[email protected]
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Abstract

There is a strong link between childhood adversity and subsequent substance misuse. We describe a case of childhood adversity consisting of physical and sexual abuse, experience of homelessness in childhood and adulthood, intimate partner violence and polysubstance misuse in a 32 year old woman currently attending the methadone maintenance programme in the Drug Treatment Centre Board, Trinity Court, Dublin. The relevant literature to the case is reviewed in relation to the aetiology and symptoms of this complex case.

Keywords

Childhood adversitySubstance misuseHomelessnessAetiology
Type
Case reports
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 25 , Issue 1 , March 2008 , pp. 29 - 30
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

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