Substance Abuse and Mental Health Facilities in St. Paul Island, AK

Long term substance abuse in St. Paul Island could lead to the development of negative psychological side effects, which could be similar to the signs and symptoms of a mental health disorder like depression and anxiety.

This is because using these substances will alter the chemical structure of your brain. Prolonged use, on the other hand, will increase the chances that you will develop the sings of mental illness. Over time, you will soon find that you need dual diagnosis treatment to manage all the disorders that you have been diagnosed with.

Psychosis

Although taking drugs might not suddenly trigger the development of psychosis unless it existed before, having this type of mental illness could cause you to start abusing drugs and drinking alcohol excessively. If you are prone to this condition, you might also become overly intoxicated if you abuse these substances.

That said, having psychosis could cause you to suffer from addiction. This is because you may turn to drugs and alcohol to self-medicate the symptoms of this mental health disorder. Over time, however, this could lead to addiction.

Schizophrenia

Like substance abuse and addiction, schizophrenia tends to be linked to genetics. In fact, about 10 percent of the people who have a first degree family member living with schizophrenia also struggle with this condition.

This is because there are certain genes that you might inherit from your parents that could increase your risk of developing this mental health disorder. Further, there are some rare genetic mutations that could disrupt the development of the brain and cause you to live with schizophrenia.

Integrated dual diagnosis treatment is recommended if you have been living with addiction and substance abuse and another co-occurring mental health disorder - such as personality disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, or any other.

Through this form of treatment, you can get the help that you need to overcome your drug and alcohol dependence as well as manage any other co-occurring disorders that you may also have been struggling with at the same time. It can also guide you on the road to long term recovery so that you do not continue suffering in the future.