Why Should I Treat Addiction and Mental Health at the Same Time?

Substance addiction and mental illness are both serious health concerns that affect millions of people nationwide. It’s estimated that in 2021, just over 46 million people in the United States had a substance abuse disorder. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) reports that 1 in 5 adults experience mental illness each year—and 1 in 20 experience serious mental illness. 

While the numbers present substance abuse and mental illness separately, these conditions often occur concurrently, and many people may not understand the correlation between the two. Addiction and mental health aren’t completely separate from one another, which is why it’s often beneficial to treat the two together under a dual diagnosis. 

Substance Addiction

In cases of substance addiction, also referred to as substance use disorder (SUD), someone overuses or misuses drugs, leading to serious health problems. You become “addicted” to the substance and can’t stop using it. Substance addiction is most commonly linked with the following substances: 

• Alcohol
• Prescription medication (particularly pain killers)
• Marijuana
• Recreational drugs (cocaine, methamphetamine, etc.)
• Opiates

The more you use these substances, the more adverse health effects you see and feel. Substance abuse will be detrimental to your health and lifestyle, often resulting in both physical and mental health problems. 

Mental Health Issues

Individuals struggle with a diversity of mental health concerns every day. Going back to information presented earlier, as many as 20% of the adult population has a recurring mental health issue. 

Mental health conditions include: 

• Depression: Many people confuse depression with feelings of sadness, but it’s much deeper than that. Changes to your brain activity make it almost impossible to find joy in life and can lead to feelings of hopelessness, as well as suicidal thoughts. 
• Bipolar disorder: Individuals with bipolar disorder are likely to experience severe mood fluctuations. This commonly manifests as manic episodes interspersed with depressive episodes. It can almost feel like you have two separate identities. 
• Anxiety: Anxiety actually refers to a series of disorders, and it’s the most common mental illness. Symptoms of anxiety include a heavy feeling of self-consciousness and fear of doing certain things. For some, this manifests in social situations; for others, it comes about through general daily worries. Anxiety is often known to lead to depression. 
• Thought disorder: Thought disorder involves an abnormal way of thinking and expressing oneself. It’s hard to diagnose and can result in disorganized speech or actions.
• PTSD: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects individuals who’ve been through a period of extreme stress. It can cause flashbacks and night terrors and can be triggered by exposure to anything that reminds the individual of something traumatic. 

Dual Diagnosis

While you can suffer from substance addiction or mental health problems separately, many people see both issues manifest together. This is called a dual diagnosis, or a co-occurrence, and it affects millions of people throughout the country. 

NAMI reports that about 33% of people experiencing mental illness also experience substance abuse—and this figure rises to approximately 50% for people experiencing severe mental illnesses. It’s thought that approximately 3.8% of adults nationwide have both a substance abuse disorder and a mental illness. 

Drug addictions are interlinked with mental illness because many of the side effects revolve around mental health. Addiction causes dependencies, and a lack of substances can create depressive thoughts or manic episodes. Also, many substances directly affect brain chemistry, leading to symptoms of anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and more. 

Mental illnesses can cause a dependence on drugs in various ways. Individuals with mental health problems may turn to substances as a way of “escaping” their symptoms, but this turns into a dependency, which leads to addiction and can make the initial mental health problems even worse. 

Treatment for Dual Diagnosis

Treatment for both addiction and mental health problems is available for those with a dual diagnosis. 

At Jackson House, we have various dual diagnosis treatment options to fit specific needs. Options may include therapy, detoxification, inpatient rehabilitation, and much more. It depends on your dual diagnosis and what works the best to treat your substance addiction and the co-occurring mental health concerns. 

Benefits of Dual Diagnosis Treatment

Dual diagnosis treatment carries significant benefits, the main one being that it’s more effective than treating the two conditions separately.

If both addiction and mental health are being treated together, often the cause and effect are treated at once. For instance, if your substance abuse disorder stems from the side effects of a mental illness, then this type of treatment works on solving the root of your overall problem.

Dual diagnosis treatment is simply a more well-rounded approach to both issues because they’re so intertwined.

Contact Jackson House for More Information

Treating both substance abuse and mental health issues together is an approach for achieving effective results, including long-term benefits. For more information on treating addiction and mental health at the same time, contact Jackson House today.