Nationwide, about 44 million Americans meet the criteria for a mental illness last year. At the same time, about 20 million people met the criteria for substance abuse disorder. This means that almost half of people with a diagnosable mental illness are also battling with addiction, and the reality is that both numbers may actually be much higher than reported. There’s even a specific term used by therapists and treatment centers to refer to people who meet the diagnostic criteria for both substance abuse disorder and a mental health problem like depression, anxiety, or PTSD.
“Dual diagnosis,”
as it’s known, helps practitioners identify and treat both conditions together, since there are so many overlapping factors between addiction and mental health.
There are physical, psychological, and even social reasons why the relationship is so strong. From a biological perspective, the brain circuits that are affected by substance abuse and mental illness actually overlap. There is also some evidence that there are genetic risk factors for both conditions that may be passed down in families. Stigma around mental illness as well as our media normalizing behaviors like “having a drink to take the edge off” may also lead people to use substances to feel better instead of seeking the help of a professional. This behavior is called self-medication, and it’s a slippery slope that can quickly lead to dependence or addiction. Sometimes, this isn’t even a conscious decision— the person is merely trying to make themselves feel better.
In other cases, people struggling with depression or other problems may not have access to good mental health care (a serious problem in Kentucky) and may instead attempt to deal with the problem on their own. Other people with depression, anxiety, or PTSD may also be perfectly aware that there is a substance abuse problem, but may not value their lives or future enough to do anything about it.
Self-medication is a classic “maladaptive” coping skill for dealing with symptoms of mental health problems; the more often someone does it, the less likely they are to practice other methods of dealing with uncomfortable or painful emotions or thought patterns. Seeking to “numb” bad feelings does not address whatever the root of the problem is. Eventually, relying entirely on negative coping skills to deal with psychiatric symptoms is likely to lead to a crisis, because substance abuse is an inherently unsustainable way to deal with problems. This may make patients in the dual-diagnosis group more likely to die from either suicide or a substance-related incident like overdose or accident.
For people who have an overlapping struggle with mental health and substance abuse, it’s important to seek out treatment—like that offered at The Morton Center. Our staff are trained to specifically treat dual-diagnosis situations, because the two together may require a more involved treatment plan, but ultimately, one can’t be treated without addressing the other. Although it’s true that both conditions are likely to worsen if left alone, including a raised possibility of mortality, it’s also true that our treatment team approach helps develop compassionate, integrated approaches to dealing with this complex (but not hopeless!) problem.
Our team at The Morton Center, can help provide answers to the family and treatment to the ones they love.
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