Substance Abuse and Mental Health Facilities in Gaston, SC

If you live in Gaston and you start abusing drugs and alcohol, there is a high risk that you might develop a co-occurring mental health disorder. On the other hand, if you have an undiagnosed mental illness, there is a likelihood that you might start abusing these substances to self-medicate the symptoms of your mental illness.

Research studies show that substance abuse and mental health disorders tend to have some underlying causes in common. These might include changes in the composition of the brain, early exposure to traumatic and stressful events, and genetic vulnerabilities.

Suicidal Behavior

Of all the risk factors for suicidal behavior and ideation, only depression is more closely linked with substance abuse and addiction. If you are struggling with addiction, you are about 6 times as likely to make a suicidal attempt at one point or the other in your life.

Research also shows that veteran men who are addicted to drugs or alcohol have twice as high a likelihood of becoming victims of suicide while women with a similar disorder have 6.5 times as high a likelihood to engage in suicidal behavior.

Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a common mental health disorder that affects to close to 1 percent of the entire American population - about 2 million adults. If you are suffering from this disorder, you might not be able to distinguish an imaginary world from the real one.

Further, you might have difficulties responding to social situations in a manner that is emotionally appropriate. This could result in various issues in your personal life as well as at school, work, and home.

Eventually, you could turn to drugs and alcohol to improve your life and manage the symptoms of your mental health diagnosis.

It is recommended that you seek dual diagnosis treatment to manage all of the disorders that you have been struggling with simultaneously so that one does not cause the other to recur in the future.

This is especially true if you have been diagnosed with both substances abuse as well as another co-occurring mental health or medical disorders. Although these disorders tend to occur at the same time in many cases, it is possible to overcome them. To be able to do so, you will have to go through a highly integrated dual diagnosis treatment program.