The therapists at our Fayetteville recovery center are aware that many patients need help not only with substance addiction but also with mental health problems. The fact is that addiction and mental health are intertwined, and you cannot treat one while ignoring the other.
Here are some of the most important facts you need to know on this topic.
Addiction and Mental Health: The Co-Occurring Conditions
Researchers in the medical field now discuss substance abuse and mental health issues as co-occurring conditions. The reason for this is that they have identified three consistent patterns in patients:
- Common risk factors that trigger both mental health issues and substance abuse
- Mental health conditions that lead to substance abuse
- Addiction triggers mental health conditions
Influenced by genetics and socioeconomic backgrounds, many people are trapped in a vicious cycle of addiction and mental health problems. For this reason, modern rehab centers offer dual therapies, which aim to heal both conditions.
Let us now explain the impact of substance abuse on mental health.
Stimulants and Antidepressants Create Anxiety
Anxiety is a condition where the response to the fight-or-flight impulse gets warped and blown out of proportion. That is, patients perceive a situation of danger where there is none. Their symptoms often consist of:
- Rapid heart rate
- Sweating
- Restlessness and agitation
- Insomnia
- An impending sense of doom
Many substances that cause addiction create effects similar to anxiety. Some of these are cocaine and antidepressants.
Also, many addicts develop anxiety as they are trying to hide their problems from coworkers, family members, and friends.
Depression and Addiction: the Never-Ending Loop
Doctors are still trying to figure out if addiction generates depression, or depression leads to addiction. However, it is fairly certain for the doctors at our Fayetteville rehab center that the two issues are very common in patients.
Many of the symptoms of addiction mimic depression, such as:
- Loss of hope and a gloomy outlook on the future
- Lack of motivation in the professional and personal life
- Sleep problems
- Lack of regulation of emotions (excessive or absent emotional responses to events)
- Weight gain or loss.
Also, many withdrawal symptoms overlap with symptoms of depression. This is why quitting cold turkey rarely works and may lead to even more severe addiction and mental health issues.
Psychosis Changes the Perception of Life
Many drugs generate psychosis. This is a condition where the person has a different perception of the world around them from other people. This may include:
- Seeing and hearing things that others cannot perceive
- Having exaggerated or outlandish experiences of common situations
- Believing things that are not reciprocated by anyone else.
This is not always a permanent condition, but recurring intermittently. This is why doctors often speak of a psychotic episode or psychotic experience.
Hallucinogenic Drugs Exacerbate Mental Health Conditions
Many people live with mild symptoms of anxiety and depression and manage to control their symptoms with medication or a healthy lifestyle. However, even the slightest mental health conditions will be exacerbated by using hallucinogenic drugs, such as magic mushrooms.
They make users feel detached from reality and experience flashbacks, some of which can be extremely distressing or even frightening.
Make a Full Recovery at Our Fayetteville Rehab Center!
Our goal is to help every patient live a healthy and balanced life, free from addiction to substances and their associated mental health issues. We will provide a holistic approach to your treatment, based on the assessment made by our doctors
We encourage you to contact our Fayetteville recovery center and schedule an initial appointment at 984-223-5341!
