What is the Definition of a Dual Diagnosis or Co-Occurring Disorder?
“Co-occurring disorders” are diagnosed when a person suffers from a mental illness and a substance abuse problem simultaneously. When someone is clinically depressed and addicted to drugs at the same time, for example, the doctor will diagnose them with co-occurring disorders. This dual diagnosis is important, as the patient may require a special form of treatment. Because they have addictive tendencies, the patient will need to avoid certain antidepressant medications.
Oftentimes, someone with depression and drug addiction disorder will be treated for both conditions at the same time. The root causes of both conditions usually overlap. A person who develops techniques for coping with depression often finds that they are able to manage their addiction as well. Similarly, an individual who overcomes addiction will often find that their depressive tendencies become much more manageable with time.
The Relationship Between Depression and Addiction
Depression and addiction seem to go hand in hand. People who suffer from depression are more likely to abuse drugs or alcohol than folks who don’t. This isn’t surprising, given the fact that depressive disorder is a debilitating condition that leaves some individuals unable to function properly. Alcohol and drugs can offer a temporary form of relief, uplifting them for a short period of time.
Of course, the effects of drugs don’t last very long. A person who uses drugs as a coping mechanism is only providing themselves with short-term satisfaction. When someone treats a chemical as their gateway to happiness, they are sure to be let down. As they use more and more of the drug, their tolerance will increase and they’ll require larger quantities of the substance to feel its effects. Before long, the individual can find themselves struggling with a full-blown addiction.
Identifying Depression and Avoiding Addiction
It can be difficult to distinguish clinical depression from a simple case of sadness or grief. If a member of your family dies, you lose your job, or something upsetting happens, it is normal for you to feel down for a little while. Clinical depression, on the other hand, is persistent and can last for months or years on end. If left untreated, it often gets worse with time.
Someone who has medical depression should avoid using drugs or alcohol as coping mechanisms. Instead, they should speak to a doctor or therapist about their experience. Medical professionals and mental health specialists will be able to identify the best form of treatment for the individual.
Here are a few symptoms of depression to look out for:
Understanding the Causes of Co-Occurring Disorders
Although depression is a very common condition that affects millions of people worldwide, scientists still don’t understand it entirely. There are a few key theories that doctors use to explain where depression comes from, including:
Heredity
Specifically, genetics increase the likelihood of depression. If your parents or grandparents had depressive tendencies, you have an increased risk of experiencing symptoms at some point during your life. Research has shown that people with family members who suffer from depression are nearly 30% more likely to develop the condition themselves. However, scientists have not yet been able to pinpoint which gene the condition links to.
Trauma and Past Experiences
People who experience abuse as children are far more likely to develop depression later on in their lives. The likelihood that these folks will develop a drug addiction or alcohol abuse problem is also much higher.
Brain Shape
Some research has shown that the brain of a depressed person has a fundamentally different shape than those of other people. The parts of the brain that regulate mood, memory, sleep habits and metabolism are structured differently in people who suffer from depression. Scientists have not yet pinpointed how the shape of the brain affects mental health.
Chemical Make-Up
There is no doubt that a chemical imbalance in the brain can cause depression in some people. Neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine which help to regulate our emotions are found to be insufficient in many depressed individuals. Scientists still do not understand what causes this imbalance to occur. However, antidepressant mendicants like SSRIs and SNRIs were developed to help calibrate the balance of these chemicals in the brain.
Similar to the causes of depression, addiction is not entirely understood by modern science. We do know, however, that many of the factors believed to cause depression symptoms are responsible for causing someone to develop addictive tendencies. Genetics, trauma, childhood environment and chemical imbalances are all cited as causes of addiction. It is possible that co-occurring disorders stem from the same root causes in some people.