Substance Use Disorder & Mental Health
Substance use disorders and mental health disorders go hand-in-hand. When an individual is diagnosed with both they are known to have a co-occurring disorder, once known as dual diagnosis.
Often, individuals will admit into a treatment center for a substance use addiction and will soon after be diagnosed with an underlying mental health disorder.
Addiction usually develops as a poor coping mechanism to deal with the underlying mental health disorder or vice versa. Therefore, a substance use disorder can lead to a mental health disorder, and a mental health disorder can lead to a substance use disorder. It is essential to identify and treat both disorders simultaneously; otherwise, if one disorder is left untreated, the individual is at high risk for relapse.
