Diagnosing a person suffering from drug or alcohol addiction is a tricky thing. Substance use disorder is usually easy to recognize, but the problem is that there’s usually a co-disorder alongside the addiction. If you don’t treat both, the patient will likely slip back into their old habits and end up relapsing.
The statistics show that over 50% of people dealing with drug or alcohol addiction have co-occurring disorders, too. Like the chicken and the egg, it’s often challenging to figure out which one came first, but it really doesn’t matter — both the addiction and the mental disorder must be treated.
Here, we’ll discuss the most common disorders that are likely to co-occur with addiction to help you understand the importance of getting help for your mental health.
Anxiety
The term “anxiety” is extremely overused in today’s society as people apply it to any situation where they feel nervous. The official term, general anxiety disorder (GAD), refers to individuals who deal with recurring and chronic anxiety or panic attacks. It can prevent the person dealing with anxiety from living a full and happy life. Patients with GAD may need prescription medications to get through their day and turn to drugs or alcohol to cope with their symptoms.
Bipolar Disorder
Although it’s less common than most other disorders, bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness that stems from a chemical imbalance. Because of this biological issue, those with bipolar disorder experience severe mood changes, going between depression and mania without control. To handle their emotions, many patients with bipolar disorder use alcohol or drugs.
Eating Disorders
In today’s image-focused society, eating disorders are on the rise. Studies show that since social media became a global sensation, rates of teenagers with bulimia or anorexia nervosa have skyrocketed, with 75% of girls and 70% of boys with these disorders having a social media account. Eating disorders and drugs like diet pills or stimulants go hand-in-hand as a way to reduce the appetite or lose weight.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
This condition is due to the after-effects of a traumatic event. With post-traumatic stress disorder, the patient has been under extreme stress, such as what is experienced during a war or a violent crime. Those with PTSD often have terrors and flashbacks and self-medicate with alcohol and drugs to avoid reliving those events and to handle their symptoms.
Getting Help for Dual Diagnoses
Co-occurring disorders receive dual diagnoses: substance addiction and mental health disorders. Both of these diagnoses require treatment from professionals equipped with the knowledge and resources to handle simultaneous recovery plans.
Treatment for a co-occurring disorder will include rehabilitation to stop the substance use and overcome withdrawal symptoms. However, it also includes individualized plans designed to handle the mental health side of the disorder and prevent relapses from occurring once the patient is back in their “real lives” and immersed in society once again.
Getting help for a dual diagnosis is crucial. Don’t try to handle this alone or go “cold turkey” if you’re not trained in this type of care. Reach out to a professional today, and get assistance for your addiction and your mental health disorder at the same time.
