Addiction Recovery and Mental Health
Many substance abuse problems cohabitate with mental health conditions. People with mental health conditions may turn to drugs or alcohol to cope with the symptoms of their mental illness, or their addiction may make other symptoms worse. The problem with PTSD, anxiety, depression and alcohol or drugs is that they create a vicious cycle and complicate recovery from the other.
Common Mental Health Conditions and Addictions
Whether your addiction is fuelling your mental health problems or you’re using drugs and alcohol to cope, you can overcome addiction and live a healthier life. Finding a rehabilitation centre that can help you manage both, and looking for keywords like “anxiety recovery centre” on their website, will ensure you receive the help you need.
HARP, a rehabilitation centre in Melbourne, compiled this list of common mental health conditions associated with drug and alcohol addiction.
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
People with ADHD are prone to acting impulsively and may have difficulties keeping track of time. Doctors commonly prescribe stimulants to treat ADHD, leading to some addiction problems.
Bipolar Disorder
For people with bipolar disorder, drugs and alcohol provide temporary relief from emotions associated with mania and depression.
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)
Substance abuse and borderline personality disorder often occur together. BPD causes people to experience rapid mood swings and extreme emotions, which they may try to lessen with substances.
Depression
When it comes to substance abuse recovery, depression and alcohol or drugs go together frequently. People with depression may use substances to cope, but the crash after the high can devastate the pre-existing depressive condition even more.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
People with a generalized anxiety disorder may also use substances to cope with the symptoms of anxiety. However, as with depression, coming down from a high can exacerbate pre-existing symptoms.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
People with OCD experience unwanted compulsions. While there are many variations of OCD, these compulsions sometimes lead to depression and anxiety, which in turn can lead to substance abuse.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
PTSD causes the brain to produce fewer endorphins than a healthy brain, making the person depressed. Therefore, they may turn to substances for a temporary endorphin boost.
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia causes hallucinations and delusions. When schizophrenia co-occurs with substance abuse, it can be challenging to determine which symptoms result from which condition. Therefore, substance abuse also makes existing schizophrenia symptoms worse.
Recovering from a Dual Diagnosis in Melbourne
Recovery counsellors must treat dual diagnoses differently than substance abuse alone. While HARP is first and foremost a drugs and alcohol counselling centre, we also provide services that help our patients cope with concurrent mental health conditions. You can think of us as a depression or anxiety recovery centre too.
Seeking treatment for addiction and co-occurring mental health conditions is the best way to guarantee recovery and reclaim the fulfilling life you deserve. To learn more about drugs and alcohol counselling programs in Melbourne, call us on 1800 954 749
