Depression can lead to co-occurring abuse
The term co-occurring refers to an individual having one or more substance abuse disorders and one or more psychiatric disorders at the same time. A person with an undiagnosed psychiatric disorder such as depression may abuse drugs to alleviate the symptoms of depression. If the person gets treatment for the drug addiction but not for depression, the depression still exists and the need for relief from its symptoms continues. The person will end up using again to manage the depression symptoms.
For people struggling with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders, physical safety and overall health risks are greater; the impairment of life skills is greater; and the chances for successful treatment are much less – all of which contribute to stigma. To recover fully, the person needs treatment for both problems. Recovery is a journey of healing and transformation enabling a person with a problem to live a meaningful life in a community of his or her choice while striving to achieve his or her full potential.
Although this disorder has only been recognized in recent years, it is all-encompassing. Mental Health America of Pennsylvania has estimated that 37 percent of alcohol abusers and 53 percent of drug abusers also have at least one serious mental illness. On the other hand, it has been estimated that 29 percent of all people diagnosed as mentally ill abuse either alcohol or drugs.
Clinical depression is a common and serious medical illness that can be effectively treated. The risk of clinical depression is often higher in individuals with serious medical illnesses, such as heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes. However, the warning signs are frequently discounted by patients and family members, who mistakenly assume feeling depressed is normal for people struggling with serious health conditions. The symptoms of depression are frequently masked by these medical illnesses resulting in treatment that addresses the symptoms but not the underlying depression. It is a myth that depression is a “normal” emotional response to another illness. It’s extremely important to simultaneously treat both medical illnesses.
People with a mental illness are three to six times more likely to abuse substances than people without a mental illness. Some mental illnesses occur more frequently than others. The most common are:
• depressive disorders, such as depression and bipolar disorder;
• anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and other phobias; and
• other psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia and personality disorders.
It is often difficult to know whether the mental illness or substance abuse problem occurred first. Someone with a psychiatric problem may drink or use drugs in an attempt to feel calmer, peppier or more cheerful. Doctors call this “self-medication.” Frequent self-medication may lead a person to become physically or psychologically dependent on alcohol or drugs. On the other hand, a person whose substance abuse problem has become severe may develop symptoms of a psychiatric disorder, including depression, rage, hallucinations, delusions or attempts at suicide.
