Mental Health
Addiction and mental health go hand in hand. Whether it's alcoholism and depression,
or someone living with schizophrenia who has problems with marijuana, they have what
would be considered a concurrent disorder. Concurrent disorders (also referred to as
dual disorders, dual diagnosis, co-morbidity, and co-occurring substance abuse
disorders) are generally described as a situation in which a person experiences a
psychiatric disorder and either a substance use disorder and/or a compulsion
addiction (for example gambling).
For the most part, people who have concurrent disorders often have to go to one
service for mental health treatment and another place for addiction treatment.
Sometimes the services are not connected at all. However, concurrent substance use
and mental health problems are often related, and they affect each other. So those
who suffer have the best success when both problems are treated at the same time, in
a coordinated way. Although the type of treatment varies according to the type and
severity of the person's problem, they might attend individual or group therapy or
be given medications, or often both.
Read about other addictions.