Substance use disorder (SUD), or addiction, is a complex mental health problem on its own, but especially in cases of dual diagnosis or the presence of other mental health disorders. While dual diagnosis treatment in Indiana is challenging, patients can receive effective treatment that improves their quality of life. Below, you can learn more about dual diagnosis and treatment options.
What Is Dual Diagnosis Treatment in Indiana?
Dual diagnosis, or comorbidity, is a term that refers to cases when a person has both SUD and mental health disorders. It was first identified in the 1980s among people who had a mental illness and addiction to drugs or other substances. The term dual diagnosis could also refer to persons who have co-occurring SUDs (more than one type of addiction) and one or more mental health disorders.
Although the name would suggest otherwise, dual diagnosis is not itself a diagnosis, but a combination of different diagnoses.
What Are The Most Common Co-Occurring Disorders With SUD?
The most common disorders that co-occur with
a substance use disorder include:
- Generalized anxiety disorder
- Depression
- Eating disorders
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Bipolar disorder
- Schizophrenia
- Personality and mood disorders
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
What Is The Prevalence Of Dual Diagnosis?
Numbers show that 45% of Americans suffer from dual diagnoses. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, of 20.3 million adults with SUD, 37.9% also had a co-occurring mental health disorder.
At the same time, among 42.1 million adults with mental illness, around 18.2% also have SUD.
Unfortunately, 52.5% of people with dual diagnoses don’t receive treatment for their diagnoses. About 34.5% receive treatment for a mental health condition, whereas 3.9% get help for SUD. Only 09.1% of people with dual diagnoses receive treatment for both SUD and mental health disorders.
What Causes Dual Diagnosis?
While a person can have both SUD and a mental health disorder, it doesn’t necessarily mean one problem causes the other. In some people, it can be difficult to determine which disorder came first.
Although it’s not always clear why dual diagnosis happens, several factors could play a role. For example, mental health disorders and SUDs have common risk factors such as stress, genetics or family history, and history of trauma.
Yet another reason a person can have a dual diagnosis is that these disorders are risk factors for one another. More precisely, having a mental health disorder can make you more likely to develop drug or alcohol addiction and vice versa.
People with mental illness often start using alcohol and drugs to feel better. This is called self-medication, and it can be very dangerous. Addictive substances worsen symptoms of a mental health disorder, negatively affect the brain’s reward system, and pave the way to dependency and addiction.
