Is Addiction a Mental Health Issue

One of the most pressing issues in modern society is the rising rate of addiction, which can have a devastating impact on lives and personal well-being. But what is addiction, exactly? What causes it? And why do people fall into it? These are some of the questions we hope to answer as we explore this complex issue.

Between 23%-25% of Americans ages 18 and older are diagnosed with mental health disorders each year. Meanwhile, 16 million people in the United States are affected by drug and alcohol addiction. That's 32 million people — or one out of every three individuals! Yet even though so many individuals are affected by these issues, only 1 in 10 receive treatment for their drug and alcoholism. Why?

The relationship between mental health and addiction is complicated. It's often difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of one issue from the other — especially when these disorders are often treated independently. Mental health symptoms, like depression, can make you more vulnerable to an addiction. This can be true for people with certain illnesses such as bipolar disorder, but it may also be true for those suffering from milder forms of mental illness that don't meet diagnostic criteria for any official mental disorder.

In order for prevention and treatment efforts to be as effective as possible, it’s important that we understand addiction at a basic level. People get addicted for many reasons, including the psychological effects of substance abuse (e.g., stress, anxiety), or physiological effects of the substances themselves (e.g., withdrawal symptoms) as surveyed by the professionals at a typical heroin rehab program. In cases where addiction is the direct result of a mental illness, it can be defined as “a primary addiction characterized by compulsive craving and an inability to quit despite adverse consequences”. Whatever type of addiction a person has, their brains are working in the same way.

The Relationship Between Mental Health and Addiction

So are addiction and mental health truly linked? If so, how? And do these connections suggest new treatment options for those who suffer from addiction and mental illness? In this article, we will explore the answers to these questions and attempt to shed light on a complex issue that’s still something of a mystery to modern science.

Addiction is a chronic neurobiological disease that affects brain function and behavior. In other words, addiction is a brain disease. Because mental illness is a brain disease, it is reasonable to assume that addiction and mental illness are linked. However, there are many studies that show that the prevalence of addiction among those with mental illness is nearly 50%. In other words, those who suffer from a mental disorder and abuse alcohol or drugs in the course of their condition are at increased risk for addiction.

Mental health and addiction are hard to separate. One of the biggest obstacles is how mental illnesses often look like addictions, such as aching depression or blackouts caused by drugs and this is the reason it is crucial to be treated at a heroin rehab program. But there's actually a lot of scientific evidence connecting addiction and mental illness, so it seems safe to say that they go hand in hand.

If you've ever suffered from an addiction, you know what it can do to your life. Alcohol and drugs can steal your ability to work and go to school, destroy relationships, interrupt your healthcare and even kill you. Since a mental illness can be as severe as an addiction, it's not surprising that they may have the same side effects.

New research has begun to explain why so much of this happens. The reason is called a "mismatch" between the brain's reward mechanisms and a person's true needs in life. When faced with these problems, people with addictions repeatedly overuse the brain's reward mechanisms, causing severe impairment in their lives. This can lead to addiction.

Dr. David Nutt, director of the neuropsychopharmacology unit at Imperial College London, began his research into addiction and mental health in 2002 by examining how brain circuits might create the illusion of things we don't actually need. For example, many people believe they need to drink alcohol every night, but in reality there is no need for it. Luckily, the brain can create this false need simply by overusing the reward system.

The reward system is a series of interconnected brain networks that releases dopamine when a person does something good or pleasurable. The reward system seems to be designed to promote healthy living habits and make life worth living.

That said, there are many factors that have been linked to addiction and mental disorders. These can include your genetic makeup, the environment in which you were raised, and your social and economic circumstances.

No matter what caused your addiction or mental health disorder, the good news is that there are treatments available. Treatment for both alcohol and drug addictions involves a combination of therapies that work to heal both the mind and the body. You can recover from addiction with the right treatment plan. And, if you're suffering from a mental illness, treatment can help ease your symptoms — allowing you to live a healthier life.