Prescription Drug Addiction And Co-Occurring Disorder
Roughly 45 percent of people with substance addiction, such as prescription drug addiction have a
mental disorder, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). Both mental
disorder and addiction affect the brain, making people with addiction vulnerable to develop a mental issue and vice versa.
Dual Diagnosis Defined:
Dual diagnosis the condition, where one has substance addiction and a mental disorder at the same time. One who has a prescription drug addiction may be diagnosed with one of the following mental
problems:
1. Bipolar disorder: It was found that almost half of the people diagnosed with a bipolar disorder
suffer from a mental disorder. This is actually caused by their desire to self-medicate and avoid
the symptoms they are experiencing. People with this condition seeks alcohol and narcotics to
get instant relief when they have episode attack.
2. Eating disorders: People with eating disorders commonly abuse narcotics or painkillers to gain
relief from their feeling of inferiority. These people are usually using drugs that quash their
appetite in order to lose weight fast.
3. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is known that people who have gone utterly painful
situations are the ones who are more likely to develop a prescription drug addiction to cope up
for the pain. Aside from narcotics, these people usually abuse alcohols.
4. Anxiety. This mental disorder is very common in the United States. In order to get rid of panic
attacks, they gain relief and relaxation from drugs and alcohol. Benzodiazepines prescribed for
people with anxiety are one of the commonly abused narcotics.
5. Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). There are many variations of OCD that you can find
among the sufferers. It is an involuntary problem that affects people, leading to depression and
anxiety. This mental issue can lead to drug abuse, including prescription drug addiction.
6. Depression. Depression is one of the most common mental problems in the country, where 1 in
10 people are suffering from this condition. People who are depressed get relief from abusing
drugs as they get high. What people don’t know about this condition is that instead of getting a
solution, the mental state gets worse over time due to drug addiction.
Mental Disorder Treatment:
If you are both diagnosed with prescription drug addiction and a mental health disorder, you should get treated for your dual diagnosis. Cure for prescription drug addictionshould be done at the same time as the symptoms of the co-occurring disease is almost identical.
Getting treatment for your painkiller addiction, without getting treatment for your mental disorder will not make the condition any better. Recovered addicts who are not treated for their mental issue have a higher chance to relapse. Treating both the disorders are a key to a successful recovery.