Significant numbers of the people in the U.S. dealing with serious substance-related issues also have symptoms of a highly destabilizing mental state called substance abuse psychosis. Some affected individuals meet the basic criteria used to identify a substance and mental health-related condition called a dual diagnosis. In a study published in September 2014 in the…
Addiction to drugs or alcohol is a difficult problem for anyone to overcome. But imagine how hard it would be to successfully conquer a substance abuse problem if you were also struggling with a mental health issue. Addiction and mental illness complicate treatment and recovery. A person trying to beat addiction requires all of the…
Does substance abuse cause depression, or does depression cause substance abuse? A study involving laboratory animals suggests that substance abuse could cause mood disorders, such as depression. Previous research indicates that the converse could be true — i.e., that mood disorders cause substance abuse. No matter what, The Ranch TN has the programs and treatments…
People with a dual diagnosis suffer from both substance use disorder and a mental health disorder at the same time. Mental health professionals and addiction specialists are well-aware that these individuals often have worse outcomes than those who only deal with one issue. A team of Norwegian and American researchers identified the factors that commonly…
When an individual is struggling with substance use disorder or drug abuse, getting professional help is key. Often, individuals abusing drugs also suffer from an underlying mental health issue. This, combined with their addiction, creates what medical professionals call a co-occurring disorder. It is addressed through dual diagnosis treatment. Dual diagnosis is a term that…
The most effective kind of rehab for substance use disorders is that which addresses all the varied needs of the patient as an individual. This means screening for and treating mental illnesses alongside addiction. It is common for someone who abuses substances to have a mental illness as well. Up to half of all people…
New research finds that a young adult’s risk for dual diagnosis is linked to having a mother who smokes cigarettes and who displays an unusually low amount of parent-child attachment. In addition, the researchers concluded that children born to fathers with serious alcohol problems are also at risk for simultaneously occurring problems with substance abuse/addiction…
Liv was 12 the first time she shoved away from the dinner table, declaring, “I’m too fat!” Her mother was shocked that such a young girl could have those feelings, and her father didn’t take her seriously. No one could have known that Liv had been nurturing such fears for over a year, and that…
Addiction researchers have firmly established that some of the damaging brain changes found in people with non-substance-based behavioral addictions are roughly equivalent to the damaging changes found in the brains of people addicted to drugs, medications or alcohol. In a study published in 2014 in the journal Addiction Biology, a team of German researchers compared…