9781422282458

12 DRUG USE AND MENTAL HEALTH

It can be very difficult to figure out which came first: the substance use, such as alcoholism, or the mental disorder, such as depression.

DUAL DIAGNOSIS

When a person has both a substance use disorder and a mental health disorder, that person is said to have a dual diagnosis . Each condition has its own symptoms that add to a person’s difficulties. Plus, both conditions interact with each other and tend to make each other worse. It’s a cycle: mental health disorders are usually heightened by substance use, while substance use can provoke the mental health disorder. This is why it is can be hard to diagnose which of a person’s problems stems from which condition. Addiction itself is considered a form of mental illness. Like other mental health disorders, addiction can affect neurotransmitters and change the way a person’s brain operates. People struggling with addiction may be unable to control their impulses, or they may engage in compulsive