Key Takeaways
Substance use disorders often occur alongside mental health disorders. Co-occurring disorders, also called dual diagnosis, are the coexistence of a mental health disorder and a substance use disorder, including addiction with anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, or PTSD.
Addiction and mental health conditions can influence each other. Some people may use drugs or alcohol to self-medicate mental health symptoms, while chronic substance use can also contribute to or worsen mental health issues.
Common co-occurring disorders include anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, PTSD, eating disorders, and personality disorders. Identifying these conditions is important because symptoms can overlap with those of substance use disorders and may otherwise be missed or misdiagnosed.
Effective treatment should address addiction and mental health simultaneously. The blog describes individualized treatment that uses Integrated Care and can include medical management, behavioral therapies such as CBT and DBT, therapeutic communities, and ongoing mental health monitoring.
Question:
What are the most common co-occurring disorders with addiction?
Answer:
Co-occurring disorders are mental health conditions that exist alongside a substance use disorder, a situation commonly referred to as a dual diagnosis. The blog explains that addiction and mental health disorders can influence one another. Someone experiencing anxiety, depression, PTSD, bipolar disorder, or another condition may turn to drugs or alcohol to self-medicate, while prolonged substance use can also trigger or worsen mental health symptoms. Common co-occurring conditions include anxiety disorders, depression, eating disorders, bipolar disorder, personality disorders, and PTSD. Because symptoms of mental illness and addiction can overlap, professional assessment is important for identifying both conditions accurately. Treatment should address addiction and mental health at the same time rather than treating them as completely separate problems. Individualized care may include medical management, medication monitoring, therapeutic communities, and behavioral therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).
It is common for guests with a substance use disorder to also be suffering from a co-occurring disorder. At Royal Life Centers at the Haven, we are experienced in treating guests who suffer from a dual diagnosis. Upon arrival at our facilities, each guest will undergo an assessment for their symptoms and evaluation for any co-occurring disorders so that we can decide the best and most effective course of treatment.
What is a Co-Occurring Disorder?
A co-occuring disorder, also known as a dual diagnosis, is when a guest has both substance use disorder and a mental health condition—like depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, etc. Symptoms can overlap, which can complicate diagnosis. This occurrence can also be called comorbidity. A co-occurring mental health condition can also affect overall functioning, including relationships and employment. At Royal Life Centers, we use an integrated approach to treat substance use and mental health issues and address each disorder simultaneously.
Because addiction changes the way our brain functions, our processing of information, and our behavior, addiction is considered to be a disorder, and is mentioned in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
Addiction and Other Disorders
Mental health disorders actually make someone more susceptible to addiction. Many studies published show that persons diagnosed with mood disorders or anxiety disorders are about twice as likely to also develop a substance problem, including alcohol use disorder, according to NIDA. Addiction and mental disorders have a bi-lateral relationship, meaning that both affect each other. Someone struggling with an addiction is “…roughly twice as likely to suffer also from mood and anxiety disorders” (NIDA). These conditions often share common risk factors, including genetic factors, which account for roughly 40–60% of substance use disorder vulnerability, and environmental factors such as chronic stress or trauma; over time, untreated symptoms and other factors tied to difficult life circumstances can raise vulnerability to additional mental health problems.
Many people with a substance use disorder may have developed their addiction in an attempt to self-medicate for symptoms they experience from a co-occurring disorder. For example, anxiety disorders frequently co-occur with alcohol or cannabis misuse when someone is trying to manage distress on their own. Alternately, chronic substance use may cause mental health disorder symptoms to arise and create increased risk for secondary conditions. An example of this is drug-induced psychosis.
Common Co-Occurring Disorders
There are many mental disorders that are common amongst addicts and alcoholics. We have prepared a list of these common co-occurring disorders below, as well as a bit of information on each disorder.
Anxiety DisordersAnxiety is one of the most common disorders had in addition to a substance use disorder. There are many different types of anxiety disorders, including: panic disorder, social anxiety, agoraphobia, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, etc. Anxiety can also overlap with co occurring substance use when someone tries to self-medicate distress.
DepressionDepression is another extremely common mental health disorder to have alongside substance use disorders. Many of the signs and symptoms of depression are similar to signs and symptoms of substance use disorder. Because of these similarities, there is a higher likelihood of misdiagnosis. Major depressive disorder also commonly appears alongside misuse involving prescription medications such as prescription opioids or alongside alcohol use.
Eating Disorders“The lifetime prevalence percentages of eating disorders in people with drug use disorders (and vice versa) are higher than in the general population” (Nøkleby).
Bipolar DisorderBipolar disorder is one of the more serious mental illness conditions within the mood disorders category. This mental health disorder has two types, which manifest different symptoms and behaviors, these types are bipolar I and bipolar II. When it appears with substance use disorders, diagnosis and treatment can become more complicated. “The lifetime prevalence of SUDs is at least 40% in bipolar I patients” (Cerullo).
Personality DisordersPersonality disorders are extremely common throughout the general population, whether people apply to the disorder fully or carry the traits or style of a personality disorder. There are about ten different personality disorder diagnoses, the most common among addicts and alcoholics are antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, dependent personality disorder, narcissistic personality disorder, and avoidant personality disorder. People with these disorders may also face higher risks for multiple substance dependencies. In borderline personality disorder, self harm behaviors may be present, and DBT is often used to reduce self harm behaviors.
Post-Traumatic Stress DisorderPost-traumatic stress disorder is a mental health disorder that results from experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. This disorder causes mental and emotional stress that is a result from psychological shock. PTSD usually affects someone’s ability to emote, and causes hypersensitivity to others and the world with a different set of beliefs that resulted from their traumatic experience. Among veterans, about 1 in 5 with PTSD also has a co-occurring SUD.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity DisorderAttention deficit hyperactivity disorder often appears alongside substance misuse in adolescents and adults, which can make diagnosis and recovery more complex.
Co-occurring mental and substance conditions can intensify symptoms, create social strain, and substantially interferes with daily functioning and relationships.
Diagnosing
You should only be diagnosed with a mental health disorder by a licensed medical professional. A psychiatrist is usually the best person to seek out if you are looking to be diagnosed, and treated with the proper medications and psychotherapy. It is especially important to seek a professional who has extensive knowledge about substance use disorders, because many signs and symptoms of mental health disorders are shared with signs and symptoms of substance use disorders. For example, a severe substance use disordered person will stop participating in activities they once used to enjoy, which is a sign and symptom of depression.
Royal Life Centers at the Haven runs on a model of comprehensive addiction treatment. We use proven effective methods and only the best practices to treat our guests. The National Institute on Drug Abuse says, “The high rate of comorbidity between drug use disorders and
other mental illnesses argues for a comprehensive approach to intervention that identifies and evaluates each disorder concurrently, providing treatment as needed. The needed approach calls for broad assessment tools that are less likely to result in a missed diagnosis” which we are proud to say that our treatment experience aligns with this recommendation. (NIDA).
How We Treat
We treat each dually-diagnosed guest with a different course of treatment, because each guest’s addiction treatment experience is individualized specifically to meet their personal needs and goals. Some common factors in our comprehensive addiction treatment programs include:
- medical management
Regular visits with our medical professional staff will provide guests with medication if they need it for their overall health. For example, a commonly prescribed medication is an anti-depressant. Our medical professional staff only prescribes non-addictive medication, and keeps up regular contact with each guest to provide medication monitoring.
- therapeutic communities (TCs)
Our addiction treatment atmosphere is considered to be a therapeutic community, which gives guests the opportunities for resocialization, teaching guests how to be a valuable part of the community. We have many community-based events and provide opportunities for guests to be a part of the greater community— with things like community service and involvement.
- behavioral therapy
In addition to our wide variety of intensive therapies, we also offer two types of behavioral therapies. We provide cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), which are two of the most helpful types of therapy for treating mental health disorders.
Substance abuse and mental health go hand-in-hand. Our treatment for co-occurring disorders is an approach that treats both (or all) disorders simultaneously. Once you arrive at one of our treatment centers, you will be assessed and evaluated for any co-occurring disorders so that you and our clinical staff can decide the best course of treatment for you specifically. Our treatment plans are completely individualized, to offer each guest the best resources and most effective treatment for their specific needs, goals, and circumstances. Any dual diagnosis treatment will involve regular visits with our medical professionals, to ensure proper mental health management and medication monitoring.
Our Programs
Royal Life Centers at the Haven offers optimal medical detoxification services. Our medical detox program can last for either 4 or a full 8 days, depending on each guest’s symptoms of withdrawal and medical needs. We focus on stabilization during our medical detoxification, and provide 24/7 access to and supervision of medical professionals. We offer medically-assisted detox medications and medically-assisted integrated treatment for guests on a case-by-case basis also.
Our program at Royal Life Centers at the Haven is short term, however, Royal Life Centers has many long term programs as well. Royal Life Centers offers comprehensive addiction treatment programs, including: medical detox, a residential inpatient program, a partial hospitalization program (PHP), an intensive outpatient program (IOP), an outpatient program (OP), sober living and graduate housing. We also have services for family members, and alumni services.
Reach Out
If you or someone you know is struggling with an addiction and a mental health disorder, please reach out to our addiction specialists at (877)-RECOVERY or (877)-732-6837. Our team makes themselves available to take your call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Because We Care.
References:
Cerullo, Michael A, and Stephen M Strakowski. “The prevalence and significance of substance use disorders in bipolar type I and II disorder.” Substance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy vol. 2 29. 1 Oct. 2007, doi:10.1186/1747-597X-2-29
NIDA. “Comorbidity: Addiction and Other Mental Illnesses.” National Institute on Drug Abuse, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Dec. 2008, www.drugabuse.gov/sites/default/files/rrcomorbidity.pdf
Nøkleby, Heid. “Comorbid Drug Use Disorders and Eating Disorders — a Review of Prevalence Studies.” Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, vol. 29, no. 3, June 2012, pp. 303–314, doi:10.2478/v10199-012-0024-9
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