Substance Abuse and Mental Health Treatment Programs
When one is struggling with a psychiatric disorders—such as PTSD, bipolar disorder, and depression— and a substance use disorder at the same time, these conditions are known as co-occurring mental health disorders. One who struggles with mental health conditions may be more likely to misuse substances, and people who misuse substances may be more likely to have mental health disorders. Having at least one mental health disorder in the presence of at least one substance use disorder is known as co-occurring disorders. Since drug abuse and mental health issues can share common risk factors and influence the course of one another, it’s important to treat both disorders at the same time.
What Is Co-Occurring Mental Health and Drug Abuse?
The term co-occurring disorder, also referred to as a dual diagnosis, means that a person has a mental health disorder and an addiction at the same time.3 Mental health conditions can impact the way that addiction rehab takes place. Treatment providers should take not only the substance abuse, but also the mental health symptoms into account in order to improve the likelihood of successful long-term recovery.3
Many Americans are affected by mental illness and addiction. The 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health provides mental health and drug abuse statistics which report that 52.9 million people aged 18 and older had a past-year mental illness, and 17 million of these people had a co-occurring substance use disorder.9 NAMI reports that 1 in 5 American adults have a mental illness and 4% of American adults have a dual diagnosis.10
