People often use substances to regulate emotions associated with mental health conditions. If addiction occurs, dual diagnosis treatment is necessary, addressing both disorders simultaneously. This article will discuss the most common pairings, how they’re treated, and how BlueCrest Detox provides guidance through early recovery.
Key Takeaways
- People often self-medicate mental health disorders. While substances may provide temporary relief, they often make symptoms worse in the long run, and when co-occurring disorders develop, a dual diagnosis approach is necessary.
- Common co-occurring disorders include depression and alcohol use disorder, anxiety and benzodiazepine or alcohol misuse, PTSD and substance use disorders, opioid use disorder and depression or anxiety, and bipolar disorder and alcohol or stimulant use.
- Treatment often begins with detox when physical dependence is present, followed by ongoing care that treats both conditions together.
Table of Contents
- What Are the Most Common Co-Occurring Disorder Pairings?
- What Are Challenges in Diagnosing Co-Occurring Disorders?
- How Are Co-Occurring Disorders Treated?
- What Should I Look For In a Dual Diagnosis Treatment Program?
- Start Your Recovery Journey at BlueCrest Detox
- FAQs
Introduction
According to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) research, in 2024, 70.8% of U.S. adults with a serious mental illness received mental health treatment. That means about 3 in 10 adults with SMI- roughly 4.3 million people out of 14.6 million- went without treatment. Many people self-medicate to regulate their emotions. Over time, an addiction can form, leading to co-occurring disorders.
Certain pairings are more common than others, often because a substance seems to ease a specific symptom. Someone with anxiety may drink to calm their nerves, while someone with PTSD may use drugs to calm painful memories. The relief is temporary, and over time the substance use tends to make the original condition worse, creating a cycle that’s hard to break; but with the right support, it can be broken.
When co-occurring disorders exist, dual diagnosis treatment is necessary. It simultaneously treats addiction and mental health issues for optimal wellness.
What Are the Most Common Co-Occurring Disorder Pairings?
Any mental health condition can occur alongside any substance use disorder, but some pairings show up far more often than others. Typically, this depends on how the substance seems to treat the symptoms. Here are some common examples.
Depression and Alcohol Use Disorder
Research published by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reveals that people with AUD are 2.3 times more likely than those without it to have had major depressive disorder in the past year. While alcohol may seem to lift mood, it is actually a nervous system depressant that disrupts sleep, drains energy, and makes symptoms worse.
Anxiety Disorders and Alcohol or Benzodiazepine Misuse
In a nationally representative U.S. study, 33% of people who sought treatment for alcohol dependence had at least one anxiety disorder. Both alcohol and benzos enhance the effects of GABA, the brain’s main calming neurotransmitter, providing temporary symptom relief. But over time, they dysregulate brain chemistry, doing more harm than good.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Substance Use Disorders
According to the VA’s National Center for PTSD, 45% of U.S. adults with PTSD also have problems with alcohol or drug abuse. The risk is especially high among veterans and first responders who are often regularly exposed to traumatic incidents. As with any type of self-medication, substances can provide short-term relief, but they worsen symptoms over time.
Opioid Use Disorder and Depression or Anxiety
NIDA research indicates that 43% of people in treatment for nonmedical use of prescription painkillers have a diagnosis or symptoms of a mental health disorder, most often depression and anxiety. Opioids can temporarily ease emotional pain, but long-term use changes the brain’s reward system. Withdrawal brings intense low mood, irritability, and anxiety, which can drive continued use and make it hard to tell where the mental health condition ends and the effects of the opioids begin.
Bipolar Disorder and Alcohol or Stimulant Use
Research published in Frontiers in Psychiatry estimates that 40% to 70% of people with bipolar disorder also have alcohol use disorder at some point in their lives. During manic episodes, impulsivity can lead to binge drinking or stimulant use, while during depressive episodes, people may drink to cope with low mood. Substances can also destabilize mood and interfere with mood stabilizers, which is why treating both conditions together is so important.
What Are Challenges in Diagnosing Co-Occurring Disorders?
Overlapping symptoms make it challenging to diagnose co-occurring disorders. Both mental health problems and substance abuse cause dysregulation and mood swings, making it difficult for mental health professionals to trace the source of the symptoms. Often, clinicians need a period of sobriety to determine the underlying cause of symptoms.
However, conditions may also go undiagnosed, and clinicians may treat only one disorder. Without a comprehensive approach, the existing disorder can drive the other disorder, leading to a risk of relapse.
How Are Co-Occurring Disorders Treated?
Co-occurring disorders are typically treated through medical detox, followed by rehab.
- Medical Detox: Often the first step of recovery, detox addresses physical dependence issues, focusing on managing withdrawal symptoms and reducing the risk of complications. Clinicians oversee the process, providing medication and medical monitoring to ensure comfort and safety.
- Rehab: Once clients are stabilized, they move on to rehab, addressing both the substance use and the mental health conditions that fuel it. At BlueCrest, clients typically enter our recovery program after detox. We guide a smooth transition. We use evidence-based practices, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), to support emotional regulation. Our clinic offers various levels of outpatient care to support a personalized approach.
- Aftercare: After the initial stages of treatment, we continue to support clients, helping them integrate coping skills into real-world practices and maintain sobriety.
What Should I Look For In a Dual Diagnosis Treatment Program?
When looking for dual diagnosis treatment for substance use and co-occurring mental disorders, consider integrated treatment, a personalized approach, comprehensive care, and a multidisciplinary staff.
- Integrated treatment treats both conditions as connected problems, focusing on how they affect one another. It improves recovery outcomes compared to separate treatments.
- A personalized approach ensures treatment focuses on the client’s unique disorders, lifestyle, and goals.
- Multidisciplinary staff means one team can oversee various aspects of mental and physical health to support overall wellbeing.
- With clinics that offer comprehensive care, clients can easily transition from detox to rehab.
Start Your Recovery Journey at BlueCrest Detox
BlueCrest Detox offers medically supervised detox in a high-comfort residential New Jersey setting. After completing our program, we guide you through a smooth transition into our recovery track. Our multidisciplinary team can help you achieve optimal wellness with a personalized approach.
Contact us to learn more about our comprehensive care.
FAQs
What are co-occurring disorders?
Co-occurring disorders, AKA dual diagnosis, are when a person has a mental health condition and a substance use disorder at the same time, such as depression and alcohol use disorder.
Which comes first: the mental health condition or the addiction?
It can happen either way. Some people use substances to cope with symptoms of a mental health condition, while substance use can also trigger or worsen mental health problems. In many cases, shared risk factors like trauma, stress, or genetics play a role in both.
Can I just treat the addiction first and deal with my mental health later?
Treating one condition at a time is usually less effective. Untreated mental health symptoms can lead to relapse, and ongoing substance use can make mental health symptoms worse. Treating both at the same time gives you the best chance at lasting recovery.
How do I know if I have a co-occurring disorder?
Signs of a co-occurring disorder include using alcohol or drugs to manage stress, anxiety, or low mood, or noticing that your mental health gets worse when you drink or use. A professional assessment can provide an accurate diagnosis.
Why is it hard to diagnose co-occurring disorders?
It’s hard to diagnose co-occurring disorders because substance use and withdrawal can cause symptoms that look like depression, anxiety, or other conditions. Clinicians often need to observe a person after a period of sobriety to tell which symptoms come from the substance and which come from a separate mental health condition.
Sources
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). “Release of the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Leveraging the Latest Substance Use and Mental Health Data to Make America Healthy Again.” https://www.samhsa.gov/blog/release-2024-nsduh-leveraging-latest-substance-use-mental-health-data-make-america-healthy-again
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). “Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in the United States: Results from the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.” https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt56287/2024-nsduh-annual-national/2024-nsduh-annual-national-html-071425-edited/2024-nsduh-annual-national.htm
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). “SAMHSA Releases Annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health.” https://www.samhsa.gov/newsroom/press-announcements/20250728/samhsa-releases-annual-national-survey-on-drug-use-and-health
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