The mental health problems that most commonly co-occur with substance abuse are depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety disorders.
Mental disorders can contribute to substance use and SUDs.
Studies found that people with a mental disorder, such as anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), may use drugs or alcohol as a form of self-medication.
Alcohol use disorder is still the most common form of substance use disorder in America, fueled by widespread legal access and social approval of moderate drinking. Many Americans begin drinking at an early age.
Data show high rates of comorbid substance use disorders and anxiety disorders—which include generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Comorbidity of personality disorders (PDs) and substance use disorders (SUDs) is common in clinical practice. Borderline PD and antisocial PD are particularly found to be associated with SUDs.
Types of Substance Use Disorders
Alcohol use disorder. Cannabis use disorder, also known as marijuana use disorder. Phencyclidine use disorder, a type of hallucinogen.
Substance use and addiction can contribute to the development of mental illness. Substance use can lead to changes in some of the same brain areas that are disrupted in other mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, anxiety, mood, or impulse-control disorders.
Substance/medication-induced mental disorders refer to depressive, anxiety, psychotic, or manic symptoms that occur as a physiological consequence of the use of substances of abuse or medications. It may occur during active use, intoxication or withdrawal.
Alcohol abuse can cause signs and symptoms of depression, anxiety, psychosis, and antisocial behavior, both during intoxication and during withdrawal. At times, these symptoms and signs cluster, last for weeks, and mimic frank psychiatric disorders (i.e., are alcohol–induced syndromes).
The symptoms associated with a substance use disorder fall into four major groupings: impaired control, social impairment, risky use, and pharmacological criteria (i.e., tolerance and withdrawal).
There are two main types of substance use disorders: alcohol use disorder and drug use disorder.
These criteria fall under four basic categories — impaired control, physical dependence, social problems and risky use: Using more of a substance than intended or using it for longer than you're meant to.
Drugs can rewire other parts of the brain that affect mood and behavior. Drug abuse and addiction can cause changes in the brain that lead to bipolar disorder. Even people who were mentally healthy before their addiction can develop bipolar disorder.
These include methamphetamine, MDMA (ecstasy or Molly), LSD, and certain prescription medications. When taken in large doses, these substances can alter your mood, behavior, and even your identity. In some cases, long-term use of such drugs can result in permanent changes to one's personality.
Greatly reduced perception of reality, for example, interpreting input from one of your senses as another, such as hearing colors. Impulsive behavior. Rapid shifts in emotions. Permanent mental changes in perception.
What is substance-induced anxiety disorder? Substance-induced anxiety disorder is nervousness, restlessness, or panic caused by taking a drug or stopping a drug. If you had anxiety before you started using the drug, even if the drug makes your symptoms worse, it is not considered a substance-induced anxiety disorder.
Personality Disorders and Substance Abuse
Past research has found that anywhere between 65 percent and 90 percent of patients evaluated for substance abuse have at least one co-occurring personality disorder.
Psychosis is a mental health problem which temporarily causes someone to interpret the world differently from those around them. Drug-induced psychosis happens when you experience episodes of psychosis, such as delusions or hallucinations, as a direct result of substance abuse.
Traumatic experiences suffered in childhood can alter the production of neurotransmitters and hormones. Recent studies have shown, for example, that people who specifically experience childhood abuse or neglect can suffer from thwarted neurotransmitter development.
Substance abuse has been adopted by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) to include 10 separate classes of drugs, including alcohol, caffeine, cannabis, hallucinogens, inhalants, opioids, sedatives, hypnotics and anxiolytics, stimulants, tobacco, and other substances.
A large meta-analysis showed that four mental disorders, namely, anxiety, depression, bipolar disorders, and schizophrenia, are linked to as much as two out of three chronic physical disorders.