Substance Abuse and Mental Health in Oregon

Many of the people who live in Oregon with a substance use disorder also struggle with a mental health disorder. If you find yourself in this situation, you could be said to be living with a dual diagnosis comprised of addiction with a co-occurring mental illness.

Often, these disorders tend to correlate with and influence each other. To be able to recover from all of them, it is imperative that you seek accredited integrated dual diagnosis treatment that manage these disorders simultaneously.

Co-Occurring Substance Abuse and Mental Health Disorders

Dual diagnosis is a common condition in Oregon. It describes a situation in which you struggle with two addictions at the same time, or an addiction as well as a co-occurring mental health disorder. For instance, you might be addicted to alcohol while also living with a psychiatric or emotional health problem. In such a situation, you would require immediate medical assistance to ensure that these disorders are properly managed.

Luckily, there are many integrated dual diagnosis treatment facilities that can provide you with all the services that you need to overcome these co-occurring disorders. Often, they will offer you the therapy sessions and medical assistance that you need.

But why does dual diagnosis happen? If you are suffering from a physical or mental health disorder, there is a high risk that you might eventually find that you have become dependent on drugs and alcohol.

This is because you would be struggling with psychological or mental pain. As a result, you would turn to illicit substances or prescription medications - or even alcohol - to self-medicate the symptoms of this pain. These substances could prove effective - at least in the short term - in managing and controlling the symptoms of your mental health disorder.

In time, however, they will start causing other additional psychological symptoms over and above the initial mental illnesses that you were struggling with. These symptoms include but are not limited to alcohol and drug dependence, tolerance, and addiction.

Instead of turning to these substances of abuse to manage your mental illness, it is recommended that you seek professional medical assistance. This could reduce your risk of developing a dual diagnosis comprised of addiction and a co-occurring mental health disorder.

In Oregon - like in the rest of the United States - many people struggle with a dual diagnosis. In fact, about 50 percent of all the people who seek help from addiction treatment and rehabilitation facilities receive a dual diagnosis. This means that they need additional medical assistance to manage all the symptoms of the disorders that they are struggling with.

A dual diagnosis can also occur with addiction being the first disorder. When you abuse drugs and alcohol, you will develop psychological symptoms that could eventually lead to the development of a mental health disorder. However, you might have a mental illness that does not cause any symptoms and lies dormant until you start abusing these substances.

That said, there are many psychological conditions that tend to affect people in Oregon who are struggling with substance abuse and addiction. Examples of these conditions include but are not limited to anxiety disorders, attention disorders, bipolar disorders, codependency, depression, eating disorders, mood disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, personality disorders, phobias, post-traumatic stress disorders, trauma, schizophrenia, and stress.

These disorders are so common in Oregon that the Journal of the American Medical Association reports that more than 40 percent of the people who are struggling with an alcohol use disorder - or alcoholism - also have a co-occurring mental health disorder. Additionally, over 50 percent of all the people who seek addiction treatment for abusing drugs also get a diagnosis for an underlying emotional or mental health disorder. In the same way, around 30 percent of the people who seek treatment for mental illness also end up realizing that they are also struggling with an addiction involving one or more intoxicating substances of abuse.

But what symptoms can tell you that you might be living with a dual diagnosis in Oregon? Essentially, the symptoms that often accompany co-occurring disorders tend to vary significantly from one person to the next.

For instance, if you are struggling with an anxiety disorder, you could experience overwhelming fear, irritation, and panic attacks. On the other hand, if you are depressed, you might experience homelessness, lost interest in the activities that you used to enjoy, and a lack of energy.

Other common disorders that are often diagnosed alongside alcohol and drug addiction include but are not limited to schizophrenia, personality disorders, mood disorders, and obsessive compulsive disorders.

Abusing drugs and alcohol as well as withdrawing from their effects when you stop taking them could also cause you to suffer some behavioral and mental health effects and symptoms. For instance, if you are addicted to alcohol, you could suffer from reduced inhibitions when you drink this substance. During the withdrawal process, you may also experience tremors and seizures that could affect the functioning of your brain.

But which comes first between substance abuse and mental health disorders? Essentially, you might develop mental or emotional illness before you turn to alcohol and drugs. this could cause you to try to self-medicate before you eventually discover that you are living with a substance use disorder.

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Abusing these substances, on the other hand, could also trigger emotional and mental health disorders. These illnesses will increasingly become evident when your substance abuse continues getting out of hand. This is because drugs and alcohol can interfere with the normal structure, development, and chemical composition of your brain.

Ongoing substance abuse could also reduce your ability to display mature or even normal emotional responses. For examples, your ongoing drug and alcohol use could reduce your usual ability to control your emotional responses when you are in stressful situations. As a result, you may find yourself struggling with feelings like depression and rage even when you encounter minor events.

Common Mental Health Problems Associated with Drug Abuse in Oregon

Research studies show that many people in Oregon struggle with mental illnesses, and some of them tend to abuse drugs and drink alcohol - or display the signs and symptoms of a substance use disorder.

The state has close to 4 million residents. Of these residents, over 137,000 live with a severe mental illness. This is according to reports released by NAMI - the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The same organization reported that 1875 adults above the age of 18 years - about 2.9 percent of all adults in the state - struggle with the symptoms and effects of severe psychological distress.

In the same way, 7.6 percent of the entire adult population of Oregon - or 4,294 adults - struggle with depression. This is according to reports released by the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. The same report shows that about 21.3 percent of the adult population of the state - or 4,670 adults - were diagnosed with depression while 13.2 percent of them - or 4,667 adults - were diagnosed with anxiety. Additionally, 12.2 percent of all the women in Oregon displayed the symptoms and effects of postpartum depression following the birth of their children.

However, there is more to mental illness than anxiety and depression and anxiety. It is, for instance, reported that more than 18 percent of the people between the ages of 65 and 74 years in the state as well as 23 percent of those above the age of 85 years live with Alzheimer's or dementia. Many of these people also abuse drugs and alcohol.

The reason why dual diagnosis is so common in the state is because drugs and alcohol can alter the chemical structure of the brain. If you are struggling with addiction, you might not be able to reduce or stop your substance abuse even if it causes you to struggle with negative psychological consequences.

SAMHSA - the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration - has also reported that close to 5 percent of all the adults in Oregon suffer from severe mental illnesses. another 4.5 percent struggle with thoughts of suicide. Unfortunately, more than 50 percent of these cases largely go untreated.

That said, the most common mental health disorders that occur alongside addiction in this state include ADHD, anxiety, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, depression, OCD, oppositional defiant disorder, and PTSD.

Types of Treatment

If you have received a dual diagnosis in Oregon for a drug or alcohol addiction as well as a co-occurring mental health disorder, it is recommended that you seek integrated dual diagnosis treatment. by so doing, you will learn how to overcome all of these disorders by learning more about your substance abuse, going for therapy and counseling sessions, as well as benefiting from a nutritious diet and daily exercise. Some treatment centers can also treat you using both medications and therapy.

Some of the therapeutic interventions that are used to tackle a dual diagnosis in an integrated treatment facility include 12 step recovery approach, aftercare planning, alternative recovery therapies, cognitive behavioral therapy, couples counseling, dialectical behavioral therapy, evidence-based recovery therapies, family therapy, group therapy, individual counseling, medically managed detox, and medication management.

Through these recovery models, you will receive the help that you need in Oregon to ensure that you overcome both your substance abuse and addiction as well as the co-occurring behavioral or mental health disorder that you have also been struggling with.

Learning what treatment is best for you or your loved one is easy. Speak to one of our trained counselors and let them guide you to the best treatment options available for your specific needs.

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