Addiction And Mental Health Disorders

Addiction and mental health disorders frequently go hand in hand, and in many cases the underlying mental disorders is what causes the addiction to start. The link between addiction and mental health disorders has been scientifically proven, and individuals with mental issues suffer addiction at a rate much greater than the general population. Anyone who has been diagnosed with addiction and mental health disorders has received a dual diagnosis, which simply means there are two conditions which need to be treated instead of just one. This makes treatment more difficult to accomplish, because each condition can make the other more severe.

Addiction and mental health problems make an individual more likely to require hospitalization, and more likely to get worse over time. Someone with mental disorders will usually try to find relief from the symptoms by using drugs or alcohol, and at first this may seem successful. The truth is that addiction and mental health disorders are not compatible, and the substance abuse will only cause the symptoms to become worse. This leads to more substance abuse, and worse symptoms. Before long both the addiction and mental health disorders are out of control, and the individual steadily worsens and becomes more out of touch with reality.

It is essential that both the addiction and mental health are treated at the same exact time. Treating one of these conditions without the other is a recipe for failure, and will not work. Sometimes an individual may try to hide the drug or alcohol use, and this may prevent a dual diagnosis from being made. If the alcoholism and mental health disorders are not both diagnosed then the chance of successful treatment is much lower. Someone with a dual diagnosis should look for treatment centers that specialize in treating both components of the problem, and not just one condition or the other.

Treating mental health disorders and symptoms requires intense therapy, and medications may be required to treat the mental illness. Care must be taken with medication management though, because the patient is prone to addiction issues. Medical oversight is also necessary when addiction and mental health disorders are treated together, because some medications for these illnesses can have serious side effects and must be monitored closely. Anyone who has an addiction and also suffers from any type of mental disorder is much more likely to hurt themselves or someone else unless effective and appropriate treatment is provided and all of the conditions have been diagnosed.

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