Serotonin Neuromediator Content in Combat Participants with Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome and Alcohol Use Disorders

O. S. FITKALO

J. 2026, 106(2): 12–18

Clinical medicine

Serotonin Neuromediator Content in Combat Participants with Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome and Alcohol Use Disorders

O. S. FITKALO

DNT «Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University» (LNMU), Lviv, Ukraine
Е-mail: fitkalo@gmail.com

Received: 04-05-2026

Accepted: 23-09-2026

Published: 28-09-2026

Abstract

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter «Hormon of joy» that provides calm and reduces anxiety, regulates mood, sleep and emotional stability, significantly influencing mental health. Changes in levels are associated with depression, anxiety, aggression, and sleep disturbances, often requiring medication support. Under the conditions of a combination of PTSD and PVA, combatants experience dyshormonal changes in the content of serotonin, cortisol, and testosterone. However, the literature on the role of serotonin in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorders (ADD) in combatants is not unanimous. In our study, alcohol abuse led to a significant increase in blood serotonin content in patients with PTSD (2.98 vs. 1.89 μmol/l; p < 0.05). Therefore, it is expedient to determine the dynamics of serotonin content, since changes in this parameter can be additional criteria for the diagnosis of PTSD, and the normalization of these changes – objective signs of the effectiveness of therapy.

The purpose of the study to determine the serotonin content in combatants with post-traumatic stress syndrome combined with alcohol use disorders.

Material and methods. The work was carried out at the Department of Psychiatry and Child Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Clinical Psychology of the Faculty of Postgraduate Education of Danylo Halytskyi Lviv National Medical University (LNMU) within the framework of the research «Features of clinical polymorphism of comorbid conditions in psychiatry and narcology» (state registration number 0119U100172; 2019–2023) and «Multimodality in the treatment of mental disorders and conditions comorbid with them» (state registration number 0124U001063; 2024–2028), co-executor of which was the author. The collection of clinical material was carried out during 2015–2024 at the following clinical bases: narcological department No. 2 of the Lviv regional clinical narcological dispensary; Department No. 16 of the Military Medical Clinical Center of the Western Region of Lviv.

The purpose of the study. The research was conducted with the participation of 585 male military servicemen aged 20–56 years using information-analytical, clinical-amnestic, socio-demographic, clinical-psychopathological, psycho-diagnostic, laboratory-instrumental and statistical research methods. The applied methods and techniques are modern, reproducible, reliable, adequate to the goals and objectives. Patients were examined and treated in accordance with regulatory documents of Ukraine and international recommendations in compliance with the Declaration of Helsinki of the World Medical Association «Ethical principles of conducting scientific medical research with the participation of a person as a research subject». Materials related to examination, laboratory and scientific research and treatment of patients comply with bioethics standards, as evidenced by the conclusion of the Bioethics Commission of Danylo Halytsky Lviv National Medical University (protocol No. 1 dated January 20, 2025).

Keywords: post-traumatic stress disorder, alcohol use disorders, serotonin, combatants

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