What Are The Symptoms and Treatments Of Substance Use and Co-Occurring Mental Disorders
When people are diagnosed with mental illness and a substance use disorder, they are referred to as having a co-occurring disorder. Though in most cases these types of disorders exist separately from one another, when they coexist at the same time in a patient, they usually cause symptoms of both disorders to escalate. It is quite common for people with a co-occurring disorder to have more severe outcomes than a person with only one of the disorders. In this blog, we will look at what co-occurring disorder is and how to treat them.
Co-Occurring Disorder Symptoms
If you want a proper and confirmed diagnosis of mental and substance use disorder, then speak to a medical professional, like the ones in Cleveland Psychiatry Associates. However, there are common symptoms of co-occurring mental disorder that can help individuals recognize when they need help. Also, check psychiatrist cleveland. The symptoms of co-occurring disorders and mental disorders are similar, the only difference is that in the case of co-occurring disorders both occur in the same person. These symptoms include:
- Backing out of relationships with family and friends
- Changes in behavior
- Difficulty in managing daily tasks
- Starts to engage in risky activities
- Ignoring health and hygiene
- Using substances under non-ideal conditions
- Losing control of substance use
- Thinking that you need to use substances to live normally
Co-Occurring Mental Disorder with Substance Abuse
There are different kinds of mental health disorders that are known to co-occur with substance disorders. The most common disorders fall into five categories:
- Mood disorder
- Anxiety disorder
- Psychotic disorder
- Personality disorder
- Eating disorder
There may be differences among them, but many of them have similar features and how they are diagnosed, what causes them to co-occur, and how the two affect one another. Examples of such disorders include:
Mood Disorder
Mood disorder is characterized by disruptions in mood that affect a patient’s life, these include disorders like major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder. So, Mood disorders commonly co-occur with substance abuse. However, It is unclear which is more commonly diagnosed first in those who have both the disorders, but what is clear is that one does have an effect on the other.
Patients with co-occurring substance and mood disorders have more harsh symptoms than either of the disorders occurring separately. It is common among psychiatrists to treat a substance disorder first and then address the mood disorder afterward. However, according to studies treating both conditions simultaneously improves outcomes.
Anxiety Disorder
Anxiety disorders include diseases such as generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder. Substance and Anxiety are also two disorders commonly diagnosed together and are some of the most common co-occurring disorders.
As in the case with mood disorders, substance abuse and anxiety disorders are more severe in a person that is co-diagnosed than in a person that has one of the disorders alone. People with anxiety disorders may use substances to treat it by themselves and get relief from their anxiety symptoms, which then leads to substance abuse.
Psychotic Disorder
Psychotic disorders change the way a person thinks and judges themselves and their environment. Some psychotic disorders include delusional disorder, schizophrenia, and schizoaffective disorder. Psychosis is a common symptom among psychotic disorders, which is a temporary state where the patient experiences delusions.
Psychotic disorders and substance abuse disorders are hard to co-exist as psychosis is sometimes a symptom of substance abuse. Withdrawal from substances can also cause psychotic effects. To be co-diagnosed, psychotic symptoms must be present in the absence of substance disorders. In the case of Schizophrenia and substance abuse, however, they are commonly co-diagnosed. Substance disorders make schizophrenia symptoms worse. Thanks thetechbizz for providing us with this platform.
