According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 1 million Americans have died of opioid and drug overdose since the 1990s. On the other hand, depression has been killing more than 700,000 people every year, per the World Health Organization.
Combine substance use disorder (SUD) and mental illness, and you have a deadly combination that could endanger your well-being.
In New York alone, over 31% of adults struggle with anxiety and depression, while 15% of the population aged 12 and above suffer from chronic substance use, making it a serious health concern.
Yet, among the millions suffering from these health issues statewide, only a handful of them get proper treatment.
If you or any of your loved ones suffer from these conditions, it’s crucial to find addiction treatment programs with comprehensive treatment services.
At Long Island Interventions, we believe understanding the problem’s nature is the first step to recovery. Below, we’ll share what you should know about how addiction relates to your mental health and the best dual-diagnosis disorder treatment available.
Table of Contents
Understanding Comorbid Disorders
It’s not uncommon for those suffering from chronic behavioral health issues like addiction to be simultaneously struggling with a mental disorder. But the reverse is also true, as those with a mental health diagnosis often deal with opioid addiction.
Health care providers call this condition a comorbidity, co-occurring disorders, or a dual diagnosis. And according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 9 million Americans are diagnosed with this complex health issue.
For recovering SUD patients, a comorbid diagnosis can complicate the healing procedure and how your physicians manage the illnesses, as it usually means they’ll have different triggers and symptoms.
Treatment plans for co-occurring diagnoses typically attempt to address both conditions at the same time. And in many cases, the patient will need to take more than one type of prescription drug to manage the overlapping symptoms.
Examples of such prescriptions are buprenorphine, which helps you manage withdrawal symptoms safely, and naloxone, for preventing opioid overdose. Those with severe mental health disabilities will typically receive mood stabilizers.
How Does Addiction Affect Your Mental Health?
Drugs, opioids, and alcohol can affect your mental health in various ways. And in many cases, those with chronic consumption habits develop long-term and persistent mental health conditions.
Addictive substances primarily impact how your brain cells function, changing how they send, receive, and process signals. They hijack your body’s reward system, flooding your nervous system with dopamine, and reinforcing the act of taking the substance.
Your brain remembers this surge of pleasurable sensation, kickstarting the drug-seeking behavior, and, ultimately, developing into dependence and addiction.
As a chronic brain disease, addiction is characterized by a loss of control over your actions and decisions. Achieving the initial euphoric high becomes the most urgent priority, taking over your relationships and social obligations.
Many people who suffer from addiction often strain their relationships with friends and family members. Others may also develop aggressive and violent tendencies toward their loved ones, losing regard for their wellness.
Over time, chronic drug use alters how you perceive reality, impacting your focus, memory, and judgment. In severe cases, the individual may even start lying and stealing just to get their hands on drugs.
By the end, the combination of physical, social, and financial consequences of their drug use, paired with feelings of shame and guilt, significantly impacts their mental health.
How Does Depression Relate to Addiction?
Addiction changes the person’s brain chemistry and functions, making them more susceptible to developing depression. Drug use can also intensify feelings of isolation, loneliness, and hopelessness, emotions primarily associated with this serious mental illness.
People living with depression may use drugs as a form of self-medication, attempting to alleviate and cope with their symptoms. They may partake in recreational drug use to soothe uncomfortable emotions or lift their mood.
Experts estimate that over a third of those with alcohol use disorder (AUD) suffer from major depressive disorder (MDD). In a previous review research, they also found that at least 11.8% of those with SUD and 11.7% of marijuana users have MDD.
However, it’s still important to note that while drug use can play a role in developing major depressive disorders and vice versa, it doesn’t necessarily mean that one directly causes the other. Depression and drug abuse may occur independently of each other as well.
What Other Mental Disorders Can Co-occur With Substance Abuse?
Any addictive substance can wreak havoc on your mental health. Besides depression, many SUD patients report being diagnosed with the following disorders:
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): People addicted to stimulant drugs like cocaine may start feeling intense worries and anxiety, symptoms attributed to generalized anxiety disorder.
- Psychosis or Schizophrenia: While often used to alleviate psychotic symptoms, heavy cannabis use is more likely to trigger psychosis or schizophrenia.
- Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Patients diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder are typically prescribed opioid painkillers like hydrocodone, oxycodone, and morphine, increasing the likelihood of forming dependence.
- Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD): While linked to several other mental health issues, alcohol users have been observed to be more prone to antisocial personality disorders.
When to See a Healthcare Provider
Co-occurring mental illness and addiction kill hundreds of thousands every year. In the US, depression-related suicides come to 40,000 each year, the majority of which are correlated to alcohol, drug, and opioid use, as reported by Addiction Center.
Here are some crucial suicide early warning signs to watch out for:
- Frequently thinks or talks about dying by suicide.
- Changes in sleeping or eating patterns.
- Loss of interest in responsibilities, work, and hygiene.
- Refusing to socialize with friends or family.
- Partakes in risky and potentially life-threatening behaviors.
- Giving away prized possessions.
- A sudden increase in alcohol or drug intake.
If your substance use becomes out of control and causes issues with your mental health, seek help immediately. The sooner you receive addiction services and mental health treatment, the higher your chances of long-term recovery.
For emergencies like overdose or an intense urge to harm yourself, call local helplines like 911 or suicide prevention hotlines like 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Crisis services like these can help you connect with mental health experts wherever you’re struggling with severe emotional distress. They also provide referrals and health information about drug or alcohol use.
Why Do Substance Use and Mental Disorders Often Occur Together?
Scientists remain unsure about the exact dynamic between substance use and mental disorders. However, they do have several ideas that could explain why these two chronic diseases so often go together.
Your family history can significantly increase the risk of your contracting addiction or mental illness. However, while the parents’ vulnerabilities toward certain conditions can be passed down, it doesn’t necessarily guarantee you’ll also develop them.
Exposure to trauma or stress, especially during childhood, is another leading factor. Witnessing violence, abuse, neglect, and family conflict considerably raises the risks of a child suffering from addiction or a mental health diagnosis later in life.
What Are My Treatment Options For a Dual Diagnosis?
An integrated approach is necessary to treat a dual diagnosis. That means using a combination of therapy and medication to address the substance use disorder and the underlying mental illness.
Such addiction treatment programs can be done in a residential or a community-based, outpatient setting. Depending on your unique needs, your treatment plan may involve a combination of the following:
- Behavioral Health Services: These are a series of talk therapies that could help you identify and eliminate unhealthy thoughts and actions that contribute to either your addiction or mental condition. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of talk therapy.
- Medicine-Assisted Treatment: The severity of your condition may warrant medicine to help you cope with withdrawal and mental illness symptoms. Methadone, buprenorphine, clonidine, and SSRIs (mood stabilizers) are drugs often prescribed for such purposes.
- Support Services: Healing is a long, arduous journey. Support services and groups are valuable for meeting people going through similar experiences and learning practical skills for a life-long recovery.
Final Thoughts: Getting Help
There’s always hope. A co-occurring addiction and mental health condition is a treatable health issue. With expert help and guidance, you or your struggling loved ones can break free from the vicious cycle.
Long Island Interventions is a mental health clinic for addiction in New York, specializing in integrated treatment approaches for SUD and mental illnesses. Our experts provide extensive programs, from detoxification and talk therapies to support communities and aftercare initiatives.
Today, you can take control of your life back, don’t hesitate to reach out!
References
- https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2024/nearly-one-third-of-us-adults-know-someone-whos-died-of-drug-overdose
- https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression
- https://www.kff.org/statedata/mental-health-and-substance-use-state-fact-sheets/new-york/
- https://www.addictioncenter.com/addiction/addiction-and-suicide/
- https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/comorbidities
- https://www.rethink.org/advice-and-information/living-with-mental-illness/medications/mood-stabilisers/
- https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2015/10/biology-addiction
- https://americanaddictioncenters.org/blog/overcoming-guilt-and-shame-in-recovery
- https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-024-03054-z
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0165032719327429
- https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2832297
- https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/trauma-and-stress
- https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/patients-and-families/cognitive-behavioral
