Does Mental Illness Make You More Susceptible to Addiction?
It has been a common occurrence for almost half of the people who are being treated for prescription painkiller abuse to have some kind of mental health diagnosis.
So does that mean there’s a correlation between addiction and mental health disorders? Do mental health issues cause addiction or the other way around? Here’s what you really need to know.
How Mental Health Disorders Affect Addiction
Research has shown that the long-lasting symptoms of alcohol use disorder can eventually lead to a mental health disorder, but can it also happen the other way around? Studies have shown that individuals with a mental illness are two to four times more likely to have an addiction than members of the general population. More specifically, depression and anxiety are two major factors that can lead to substance abuse. They can lead the person to seek an escape from their emotions and thoughts, and so they turn to drugs. For example, alcohol can make them feel more relaxed and confident, and recreational drugs can provide that escape that they’re looking for.
How Addiction Affects Mental Health
Substance abuse has a strong negative effect on a person’s mental health. For example, abuse of alcohol or opioids can worsen the symptoms of depression. The National Institute of Mental Health has reported that people with addiction are at a much higher risk of developing depression, anxiety, and other co-occurring mental health illnesses. This is the main reason why addiction treatment also focuses on the treatment of mental health disorders to improve the overall healing process.
Brain Chemistry Is Altered
Whether addiction or the mental health disorder came first, brain chemistry is drastically altered. Drug abuse causes a flood of dopamine to the brain, which is the central rewarding system, in turn leading to addiction. Over time, this can result in decreased dopamine release, requiring higher doses in order to get the same effect.
Brain chemistry is also altered when there is a mental health disorder. The brain responds to stimuli in an abnormal fashion that the individual doesn’t understand how to handle.
Factors Affecting Both Mental Health And Addiction
Many of the factors that lead to mental health disorders and addiction overlap with each other. These factors include environmental influences, stress, and genetic vulnerabilities. Some people may just have more addictive personalities while others have unbalanced brain chemistry.
A negative environment can also lead to more stress, so the individual will look for other ways to cope with this stress. This stress could have occurred in their childhood and followed them into adulthood so they might be unaware of healthier coping mechanisms.
Regardless of whether mental health or addiction comes first, it’s always important to seek out treatment that can help with both issues. Usually, both therapy and medication will be prescribed to ensure that there is no increased chance of relapse in the future. If you fear that you might be dealing with a mental health disorder or substance addiction, please talk to your primary healthcare provider for help sooner rather than later.
My name is Wojtek and I am very happy that you came to my healthy lifestyle blog. In human life, health is probably the most important factor needed for happiness, so I thought I will make a contribution to this and try to promote healthy eating and sport.
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