Co-occurring disorders are common, complex, and treatable with integrated care. Below, we explain what co-occurring disorders are, highlight common coexisting conditions, and outline evidence-based paths to recovery. If you or a loved one in Tennessee is seeking help, The Ranch in Nashville provides compassionate, professional care through our coordinated substance use and mental health treatment programs.
What are co-occurring disorders?
Having a co-occurring disorder means a person meets criteria for at least one mental health disorder and at least one substance use disorder at the same time. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) provides the criteria clinicians use to diagnose each condition. “Dual diagnosis” is a common clinical shorthand for co-occurring disorders.
How common are co-occurring disorders?
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, over 20 million U.S. adults live with co-occurring disorders. INational survey data show that people with mental illness have an increased risk of developing substance use disorders, and people with substance use disorders have a greater risk for mental disorders.
Why do mental health and substance use disorders co-occur?
The National Institute on Drug Abuse summarizes the relationship as bidirectional with overlapping risk factors. These include:
- Genetics and brain development: Genetic vulnerability can influence both mental disorders and addiction risk. Changes in brain areas involved in reward, learning, and threat detection can make someone more sensitive to stress or substance effects.
- Common risk factors: Certain environmental factors, such as early stress, social isolation, or peer drug use, can raise risk for both conditions.
- Childhood trauma and ACEs: Adverse childhood experiences, known as ACEs, are potentially traumatic events in childhood. ACEs increase later risk of mental illness, substance use, and risky behaviors. Prevention and trauma-informed care matter across the lifespan.
- Developmental stage: Young adults may experiment with substances during key developmental windows, which can trigger psychiatric symptoms in those already vulnerable.
- Self medication cycle: Some people use alcohol, opioids, stimulants, or other substances to self-medicate anxiety, depression, or sleep problems, which can worsen long-term symptoms and fuel dependency.
- Bidirectional effects: Substance use can induce psychiatric symptoms, and enduring psychiatric symptoms can drive further substance use.
Because of this overlap, treating both conditions together often leads to better treatment outcomes.
Common co-occurring disorders
Below are common coexisting conditions seen in clinical practice and the research literature. This list is not exhaustive. Symptoms vary widely across individuals, and one disorder can mask or mimic another.
Alcohol use disorder and antisocial personality disorder
Research from large population studies shows significant associations between antisocial personality traits and both alcohol and drug use disorders. While exact percentages differ by sample, the relationship is robust. Alcohol use can intensify impulsivity and risky behaviors, and repeated heavy drinking can worsen interpersonal and legal problems.
Integrated treatment often includes cognitive behavioral therapy, relapse prevention skills, and medications for alcohol use disorder when appropriate. If personality traits such as chronic rule-breaking, lack of empathy, or aggression interfere with daily life, specialized personality disorder treatment combined with substance use care can help align goals and reduce harm.
Cocaine use and anxiety disorders
Cocaine and other stimulants can cause or worsen anxiety symptoms, including panic, insomnia, and suspiciousness. People may experience anxiety disorders that predate stimulant drug use, or stimulant effects may amplify underlying vulnerability.
Treating these conditions together can reduce withdrawal-related anxiety and improve sleep regulation. Behavioral therapy, contingency management, and mindfulness strategies can help with craving cycles, while targeted medications may address anxiety disorders under medical supervision. For many, integrated treatment reduces symptoms and supports safer choices.
Opioid use disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a trauma-related mental illness that may co-occur with opioid addiction. PTSD symptoms, such as intrusive memories, hyperarousal, avoidance, and negative mood, can make recovery harder if untreated.
Studies show that people with opioid use disorder and PTSD have higher rates of suicidality and urgent care use than those with one disorder alone. Clinical guidance supports concurrent, trauma-informed care, including medication treatment for opioid use disorder and evidence-based PTSD therapies delivered in an integrated treatment model. When trauma is recent or unresolved, our clinicians can help you explore acute stress disorder resources and plan next steps.
Marijuana use and schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders
While most people using cannabis do not experience psychosis, heavy or early use is linked with increased risk of psychotic disorders in vulnerable individuals. A recent analysis using nationwide registry data estimated that a meaningful share of schizophrenia cases among young adult men might be preventable by reducing cannabis use disorder, underscoring the importance of early screening.
Co-occurring substance use can also worsen psychiatric symptoms or interfere with medication adherence in schizophrenia. Care plans often combine antipsychotic medication, psychoeducation, family support, motivational interviewing, and relapse-prevention strategies for cannabis.
Major depressive disorder with alcohol use disorder
Major depressive disorder often coexists with alcohol use. Alcohol may provide short-term relief of low mood, then deepen fatigue, sleep disruption, and hopelessness. Integrated care addresses both disorders so a person is not left choosing between treating depression or alcohol use first.
Depending on the treatment plan, therapy can include behavioral activation, cognitive restructuring, and relapse prevention, with medications for depression and alcohol use when medically appropriate. People with depression who reduce or stop alcohol use frequently report better mood stability and improved daily functioning.
Bipolar disorder and substance use disorders
Bipolar disorder carries a higher prevalence of substance use disorders than the general population. Manic or hypomanic states can increase sensation-seeking and reduce risk perception, and depressive phases can prompt self-medicating patterns. Treatment emphasizes mood stabilization, sleep regularity, and coordinated substance use interventions, including relapse-prevention planning. Family education and support groups help align expectations and safety plans.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and substance use
ADHD symptoms, such as impulsivity and distractibility, are associated with higher odds of substance use disorders in adults. Screening for ADHD during substance use assessment can guide care, since untreated ADHD may complicate recovery. Evidence suggests increased risk across multiple substances, so clinicians tailor integrated care that may include stimulant or nonstimulant medications for ADHD, skills coaching, and substance-focused therapy.
Eating disorders and substance use
Disordered eating can intersect with alcohol, stimulant, or sedative use. Some people use substances to suppress appetite or reduce anxiety around meals. Treating co-occurring eating disorders and substance use requires a multidisciplinary team, medical monitoring, nutritional rehabilitation, and therapies that address both sets of behaviors. Programs use integrated treatment to reduce medical risks and support sustainable recovery.
Signs that substance use and mental health conditions may be co-occurring
People experience anxiety, depression, and addiction in different ways. A comprehensive evaluation is the best way to understand what is going on. Signs that suggest co-occurring disorders include:
- Significant mood changes that persist beyond intoxication or withdrawal
- Increasing tolerance, withdrawal, or using more than intended
- Social isolation, conflicts, or legal problems tied to alcohol use or drug use
- Panic attacks, intrusive memories, or dissociation along with substance use
- Sleep disruption, appetite changes, or loss of interest in activities
- Psychiatric symptoms that started before, or worsened with, substance use
- Repeated unsuccessful attempts to cut down despite negative consequences
How integrated treatment works
Integrated treatment means addressing substance use and mental health together, in the same coordinated plan. Core elements of integrated care include:
- Comprehensive assessment: Clinicians screen for substance use disorders, trauma, mood and anxiety disorders, psychotic disorders, and other mental health conditions. Screening tools, combined with history and collateral information, help set a baseline.
- Individualized treatment plan: The care team builds a plan that sequences goals, clarifies safety priorities, and integrates mental health and substance interventions.
- Medication options: Depending on diagnosis, medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder, medications for alcohol use disorder, antidepressants, mood stabilizers, or antipsychotics may be part of care. All medications are prescribed and monitored by medical professionals.
- Behavioral therapy: Cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy skills, trauma-focused therapies, and family-based approaches support new coping skills.
- Contingency management: Structured positive reinforcement can improve engagement and reduce stimulant use for some clients.
- Motivational interviewing: This collaborative style helps people resolve ambivalence and strengthen intrinsic motivation for change.
- Mindfulness strategies: Practices that build nonjudgmental awareness can reduce reactivity to cravings and stress.
- Support groups and group therapy: Peer and community supports can increase accountability and a sense of connection.
- Medical and psychiatric coordination: Integrated care addresses co-occurring physical health concerns and coordinates across providers when needed.
- Aftercare and relapse prevention: Planning anticipates triggers, builds routines, and connects people with ongoing supports.
Integrated care aims to treat the whole person. When substance use and mental disorders are addressed together, treatment outcomes often improve, even when challenges are complex.
Levels of care and setting
Care can occur in different settings and intensities:
- Outpatient therapy with medication management
- Intensive outpatient or partial hospitalization, which offer more structure
- Inpatient care for medical stabilization, safety, or 24-hour support when needed
The right level depends on safety, medical needs, home supports, and readiness for change. Effective treatment meets people where they are and adjusts as needs evolve.
How Recovery Ranch supports people with co occurring disorders
At The Ranch in Nashville, TN, we help adults navigate co -occurring disorders with integrated treatment. Our programs focus on safety, stabilization, and skills that make daily life more workable.
- Explore our mental health treatment programs.
- If trauma is part of your story, review our PTSD treatment program and ask how trauma-informed care fits your plan.
- If compulsive thoughts and rituals make recovery harder, learn about our OCD treatment program.
- For concerns about long-standing patterns that affect relationships or safety, read about our personality disorder treatment approach.
We serve adults from Tennessee and beyond, and we coordinate care with referring clinicians to support continuity. Co-occurring disorders are treatable. With the right integrated treatment, many people reduce symptoms, strengthen recovery skills, and improve daily life. If you are ready to take a step, we are here to help you map a plan that fits your goals.