Pohjavaara P(l,2), Telaranta T(3), ja Vaisanen E(l); (i)0ulu University
Psychiatric Clinic, Finland (2)Tampere City Mental Health Care Centre,
Finland and (3)Privatix-Clinic,Tampere, Finland
Addiction problems are common in people with psychiatric disorders.
The addiction may be a primary or secondary problem.
The secondary addiction problems appear due to patients' attempts to
"treat" themselves with e.g. alcohol or excessive medication, especially
benzodiazepins. Social phobia is an example of a primary psychiatric
disorder, which leads to secondary addiction problems in about 20 % of
the patients.
Our patient had suffered from social phobia and its secondary problems
already from the childhood and she recovered from a serious alcohol and
drug addiction after successive treatment of her social phobia with ESB.