Substance abuse and Mental Health issues may often be correlated with one another. In fact, many times substance abuse is caused by untreated mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder or other possible disorders. Such a case is known as a Dual Diagnosis or a co-occurring disorder. Struggling with substance abuse while dealing with your mental health, may not be easy on its own.
Many recovery coaching programs and institutes like Substance abuse recovery coach Trumbull CT design their own coaching programs suitable to individual needs to counter the problems of substance abuse while dealing with your mental health.
Mental Health issues leading to substance abuse
Depression is one of the most common causes of substance abuse. Mental disorders if left untreated for extended periods of time may turn to abusing substances. However this doesn’t just end here, substance abuse in order to counter mental issues may further cause prolonged psychotic habits or reactions. They may also make the symptoms of your illness worse compared to before.
People often tend to turn to alcohol or other intoxicants in order to ease the symptoms of their mental disorders. Sometimes these disorders are already diagnosed while at other times these symptoms may not be known to the patient themselves. These drugs may serve as their temporary relief from such symptoms. However the symptoms may return as soon as the effect of the drugs wears out. This may actually further motivate the patient to intake higher dosages eventually causing a habit of substance abuse.
Risks of mental and physical damage
Alcohol of other drugs may temporarily relieve the symptoms of a mental disorder but they cannot cure them. The effect wears off as soon as the drug wears off. In fact, these substances may increase your list of problems. Drugs or alcohol abuse have long term side effects and mental as well as physical damages. Moreover if your mental disorder is caused by other complex health problems then these drugs just may push you over the edge. They may even trigger some under the surface disorders linked to your genetics or other physical health factors. In such cases they may delay proper treatment and make your medications less effective.
Dual Diagnosis Treatment
The best treatment option for a dual diagnosis is the integrated approach where both the substance abuse problem and the mental health problem are catered to separately. Treatment for your mental health problem may include medication and counselling sessions. These sessions may be individual or in groups. Moreover you may require peer support and lifestyle changes.
As for your substance abuse issues, you may need proper detoxification. This implies that you may go through withdrawal symptoms that cannot be managed alone easily. Therefore participating in support groups and getting proper behavioural therapy can help you maintain sobriety.
As long as you are not discouraged by relapses or setbacks you can treat the problem of substance abuse and deal with your mental health problem side by side.
Conclusion
Finding the right treatment at the right time is essential to dealing with the issue of mental health and substance abuse. The treatments should address both problems separately and at the same time together. This may involve enlightening the patient of their circumstances, goals and progress. Rebuilding your life all over from scratch may not be easy but it is not impossible. You simply need the right diagnosis, right treatment and proper support.
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