Having a Substance Use Disorder (SUD) is difficult enough to cope with, both for us and everyone in our lives. The behaviors, the consequences, the relationship struggles, the self-esteem issues, and more mean that substance use can take over and even feel like it is destroying our lives. But what if there is even more than just substance use that is responsible for our behaviors and struggles? What if there are multiple disorders that we are trying to manage? What is a co-occurring disorder?
Defining Co-Occurring Disorder
Formerly referred to as Dual Diagnosis, co-occurring disorders are when both a SUD and a mental health diagnosis, such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or other diagnoses, are present simultaneously to SUD. Symptoms of the mental health diagnosis may come first, or the symptoms may begin as a result of the substance use.
Co-occurring disorders can be difficult to diagnose because the symptoms may overlap and create confusion as to what is causing them. The tandem relationship of having both an SUD and a mental health diagnosis also creates unique challenges in treating both disorders. However, the greatest impact is obviously on us and those in our lives.
How Mental Health Issues Impact Us
Mental health issues can affect everything in our lives. They affect our ability to function both mentally and physically and can become very debilitating. The trickiest part of having a mental health disorder is that our brain is where the problem is, so unlike other physical issues, we do not always get the message that something is wrong. Even if others see that our behaviors are abnormal or how our lack of mental health is impacting our lives, we may not be capable of seeing it ourselves.
Depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and more are all serious, debilitating conditions. Even if some conditions have mild symptoms at first, they all have potential to become incapacitating mentally and physically. Most mental health issues require medication and therapy, at least for a time. Due to stigma surrounding mental health and treatment for it, too many people suffer from the effects of mental illness without seeking appropriate medical interventions.
Substance Use as Self-Medication
Without the knowledge of a diagnosis or how to treat mental health issues, it is common for us to look to substance use to try to address the problems. This is commonly referred to as self-medication. We know something is wrong, the behaviors from our mental health issues may have caused us a lot of pain and heartache, so we seek to numb or escape the symptoms and behaviors of our mental health issues.
On paper, this can be seen as a potential for disaster in our lives. But we are not living our lives on paper, and our thinking can easily be impaired by depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or more. When the mental health disorder exists first, self-medicating only makes it worse. Even if the substance use comes first, and our mental illness develops as a result of our SUD, having both simultaneously compounds our issues.
More Than Double the Trouble
Substance use often compounds the symptoms and severity of mental health disorders, and mental illness compounds the symptoms of SUDs. Having a co-occurring disorder can more than double our troubles. Depression becomes more severe when we use substances, increasing our likelihood of developing suicidal ideation or actually attempting suicide.
The onset of bipolar disorder hits that much harder if we are already using substances by increasing the severity of our manic and depressive phases, or even increasing their frequency of cycling. Substance use can create some severe and debilitating anxiety, and likewise, pre-existing anxiety becomes far more intense if we self-medicate with substances.
The Importance of Treating Both Disorders
One of the downfalls of trying to get treatment for co-occurring disorders is when we only treat one at a time. Treatment for substance use is not effective if we have untreated mental health issues. Likewise, treatment for mental health issues is ineffective if we are still using substances.
Just as both disorders are co-occurring, they must be concurrently treated as well. This includes addressing the why behind substance use and finding the correct medical diagnosis and treatment for mental illness. Both treatments have their challenges, but when both disorders are treated simultaneously, it can actually make things a little easier, and certainly increases the success rate for both disorders.
Hope for Co-Occurring Disorders
In the past, those who sought treatment for a SUD but had an undiagnosed mental health disorder would almost undoubtedly and inexplicably relapse. People who sought treatment for a mental illness but were still using substances would struggle to find mental health with their medical interventions.
However, now that co-occurring disorders are more regularly diagnosed, treating them together is far more effective. We increase our chances for long-term mental health when we understand that we are impacted by more than one disorder. Being diagnosed with a co-occurring disorder can actually help us better understand our past and strive to improve our present.
What is a co-occurring disorder? It is a diagnosis that is both identifiable and treatable. Find your life-changing treatment at Rancho Milagro Recovery and begin your recovery for both disorders. Call us at (951) 526-4582 to find out how our compassionate staff can help you take on both diagnoses and successfully manage both. Your mental health is doubly important.