Sex Addiction And Mental Health Disorders
There seems to be a high correlation between sex addiction and psychiatric conditions, particularly mood, anxiety and personality disorders.
- According to some research, around 40% of individuals struggling with a sexual addiction or compulsion also have a history of mood disorders such as depression.
- The correlation between depression and sex addiction is one of the reasons that antidepressants can be useful when treating sex addiction.
Clinical depression, which is often co-occurring with sex addiction, is a serious mental health illness that, if left untreated, can be life-threatening. Typical symptoms include:
- Persistent sad, anxious, or empty mood.
- Feelings of hopelessness.
The Link Between Veterans And Drug Addiction
Our veterans have served our country and fought to defend our freedoms and ensure our safety. In doing so, they have experienced trauma and faced stress that is difficult to cope with.
Unfortunately, these have led many to substance abuse and addiction to cope when they return home. Veterans will need emotional support and other recovery options to help them get better.
Lets look at how problems like post-traumatic stress disorder and depression influence addiction and veteran substance abuse and what they need to overcome it.
Taking Care Of Yourself
Your loved ones recovery from drug addiction can be a long process and the negative impact on your own health, outlook, and well-being can multiply over time. Its important you maintain a balance in your life to avoid burnout from all the stress and frustration that comes from helping someone get clean.
Find support. Expressing what youre going through can be very cathartic, so look for support from trusted friends and family, or a peer support group for family members of drug addicts. Talking to others who are facing similar challenges can help you find comfort, reassurance, and new ways of coping.
Manage stress. The stress of witnessing someone you love battle addiction can take a heavy toll. You can reduce your stress levels by eating right, exercising regularly, sleeping well, and practicing a relaxation technique such as yoga, deep breathing, or meditation. Since stress levels can escalate when quitting drugs, you can even encourage your loved one to do the same.
Practice acceptance. At some point, youve probably asked yourself Why me? or even blamed yourself for your loved ones struggle with addiction. But dwelling on circumstances outside your control will only sap your energy and damage your mood. Instead of searching for someone to blame or asking questions with no easy answers, learning to accept the things you cant change can help you focus on the things that you do have control over.
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Relationship Between Depression And Substance Abuse
Depression is one of the most prevalent mental disorders in the United States. An estimated 16.1 million American adults over age 18 experienced at least 1 major depressive episode in the past year in 2015. Thats equivalent to 6.7% of all adults in the country.1
According to the 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 7.9 million Americans also have dual diagnoses. The term dual diagnosis refers to having a mental illness, such as depression, and a substance use disorder at the same time.2
Both disorders can affect one another. For instance, some people with depression may use substances to ease their symptoms. On the flip side, substance use can exacerbate mental illness symptoms or even cause them, in some cases.
Research shows that up to 1/3 of people with depression also meet the criteria for a substance use disorder. This comorbidity is associated with an increased risk of suicide, social/personal impairment, and other psychiatric conditions.3
Locating appropriate care and treatment for people struggling with a dual diagnosis is essential for recovery from both conditions.
How To Help Someone With Drug Addiction And Depression Enter Rehab
Home » Blog » How To Help Someone With Drug Addiction And Depression Enter Rehab
When drug addiction and depression co-occurr alongside one another, they can create a vicious cycle. Both conditions easily feed off one another and breaking the cycle is not a simple task. Learning how to help someone with drug addiction and depression involves a number of things, including educating yourself on treatment and rehabilitation. At quality treatment centers that focus on providing care for individuals with these two conditions occurring simultaneously , addiction specialists recognize the combination of symptoms and can proceed with the appropriate care. Some care approaches include, but are not limited to, the following:
Most common care approaches include the implementation of behavioral therapies, such as cognitive behavioral therapy or dialectical behavioral therapy . Additionally, holistic treatments such as mindfulness training and yoga can be implemented, as can one-on-one individual therapy sessions. 12-Step facilitation and group counseling can bolster ones peer support and relapse prevention, and more specialized care such as trauma treatment can be applied if indicated.
As much as you may want your loved one to get help as quickly as possible, it is also just as important to ensure that you have a level of understanding regarding drug addiction and depression so that your efforts can be effective.
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Rehab Options: The Dual Diagnosis Treatment Difference
Dual Diagnosis treatment programs are curated to address the needs of patients who are struggling both with substance abuse and mental health concern. These programs are available to help individuals learn strategies that can help them navigate triggers and find ways of dealing with uncomfortable emotions without relying on drugs or alcohol. If you are helping a loved one navigate depression alongside their addiction, ensure they are aware of the Dual Diagnosis options.
How Dual Diagnosis Treatment Can Help Many Individuals Overcome Mental Health Challenges Associated With Substance Abuse
Get The Help You Need
There is a direct link between depression and substance use. If you or a loved one struggles with mental health challenges, you may be familiar with the draw towards substances to temporarily numb negative feelings. Conversely, individuals dealing with addiction may experience depression and anxiety due to the impact drugs and alcohol have on their lives. Unfortunately, many treatment options force individuals to choose between mental health assistance and addiction treatment.
At Drug Rehab Ohio, we prioritize treating mental health disorders right alongside substance abuse. We know that these conditions are often interdependent, and in order to break the hold of drug or alcohol abuse and depression, both challenges must be addressed. Programs such asDual Diagnosis treatment acknowledge the correlation between drug addiction and depression and encourage physical and emotional healing for sustainable sobriety.
If you are helping a family member or friend navigate recovery, consider these tips:
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Things You Can Do For Someone With Addiction
Addictions presents some unique problems. Here are a few more guidelines for dealing with addictions specifically.
- Provide a sober environment that reduces the triggers for using.
- Do not enable. Do not provide excuses or cover up for the individual.
- Do not shield the individual from the consequences of their addiction. People are more likely to change if they have suffered enough negative consequences.
- Do not argue or try to discuss things with someone when they are under the influence of drugs or alcohol. It wont get you anywhere.
- If you want to provide financial support, buy the goods and services needed instead of giving the person money that they might use to buy alcohol or drugs.
Depression Anxiety And Addiction
The Anger-Hurt-Loving model peels back the curtain and allows us a glimpse of whats usually driving addictive behaviors: untreated mental and emotional health issues. The model is key to understanding anger and addiction as well.
Heres what it looks like:
Heres an explanation of how it works:
- Behind every feeling of anger, there is an underlying hurt. We get angry when something we cant tolerate is present, or something that we need is absent. Either way, the reason were angry is because a part of us is hurting.
- However, many of us were socialized not to feel or express our anger, so we push it down and inward. The first diagonal line in the model represents how we cut ourselves off from the feeling of anger. As you now know, anger turned inward becomes depression.
- Now weve refused to feel our anger, chances are we dont want to feel our hurts, either. So we cut ourselves off from that uncomfortable felt experience as well, hence the second diagonal line on the model.
- Since were not feeling our hurt or our anger, our emotional energy that is, the up-and-down arrows in the model is bouncing back and forth between our internal walls.
And what do we call emotional energy bouncing back and forth? Thats right, anxiety.
Similarly, we define panic as the acceleration of anxiety. If anxiety is an emotional jog, then panic is a sprint.
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Symptoms Of Substance Use Disorder
A person must meet 2 or more of these 11 criteria within 12 months to be diagnosed with a SUD:4, 10
The severity of SUD is classified based on the number of met criteria:
- Mild: 2 to 3 criteria
- Moderate: 4 to 5 criteria
- Severe: 6 or more criteria
Statistics On Depression And Drug Abuse
A report by the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry found that 1 in every 3 adults with drug or alcohol problems also deals with depression. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, about 20 percent of Americans with anxiety or depression also have a substance use disorder, and about 1 in 5 percent of people with a substance abuse problem also have an anxiety or depression disorder.
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Helping Someone With Clinical Depression And Alcoholism
Depression and alcohol abuse are serious disorders that should be treated in a clinical setting. Of course, getting your loved one to agree to treatment is often an immense hurdle. If theyve been denying or making excuses for their drinking habits, confronting a family member about your concerns can be tricky. However, talking to them is the first step in helping them.
Though family interventions can work in some instances, theyre usually reserved as a last-ditch effort after failed attempts to talk one-on-one. When you approach your loved one about their mental health and excessive alcohol consumption, its crucial to avoid blaming or shaming them. They should feel as if your concerns come from a place of love and that you genuinely want to help them.
To avoid making them feel guilty, it might help to acknowledge that alcoholism is a mental illness and let them know you dont like seeing them suffer. Allow them to respond to your concerns with fears or worries of their own. Try not to become overly emotional, inpatient, or raise your voice, as this can make them defensive.
Find Mental Health Information
Learn the warning signs of a mental health problem and how to talk about these issues with others.
- Learn how to talk about mental healththe facts, myths, and typical treatmentsat MentalHealth.gov.
Order mental health publications for help with a wide range of mental health issues, conditions, and disorders.
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How To Treat Depression And Anxiety For Recovery
Whats really behind your mood swings, your depression, your anxiety? Its time to find out. Its time to treat your mental health conditions, rather than simply medicating them and hoping theyll go away.
As you now know, lasting recovery from substance abuse means addressing and healing the underlying core issues that caused the depression and anxiety in the first place. So give yourself the tools and support you need to work with the anger and hurt youve held at bay. Maybe that means outpatient therapy. Maybe it means choosing inpatient treatment for depression. Everyone is different, but no one should have to go it alone.
If youre afraid to try and afraid to feel, dont be. In offering yourself this compassion and care, youll find that you are much stronger than you know.
As author, speaker, and recovering everything Anne Lamott wrote:
Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you dont give up.
Does Addiction Cause Depression
It is commonly known that addiction and depression are often concurrent disorders. Many people ask the question, does addiction cause depression?
The answer is not always clear-cut. However, some general points can be made about the relationship between depression and drug addiction.
This blog post will explore some commonly found addiction and depression facts and discuss how they can be treated effectively.
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How To Help Someone With Depression
It can be difficult seeing a family member suffering from depression. So, what can you do to help?
- Listen and learn Educating yourself about depression, and dual diagnosis is a great starting point.
- Set boundaries If you are cohabitating with this person, its imperative that you set your boundaries. This means that if you do not feel comfortable with drugs or alcohol in your house, you establish that rule and stick to it. It also might involve financial and other household boundaries.
- Organize an intervention If the situation of the important person in your life becomes too much, it may be time to organize an intervention for them. Interventions are appropriate when a person struggling with addiction cannot clearly see the negative repercussions associated with their addiction. When conducted with the right goal in mind and with professionals, interventions can be a powerful tool for change.
- Be supportive and encouraging You can offer to help them look for the proper treatment options and support them on their journey into recovery. But ultimately, a person cannot change unless they want to. Being available to offer an ear to listen to and an open heart to love them along the way may be the best you can do.
Understanding depression and addiction and their relationship can seem overwhelming at first, but knowledge is the key to being there for your loved ones in need.
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Counseling And Support Groups For Drug Addiction And Depression
For drug addiction, depression, or both, counseling can be of real value in the treatment process. Most of the problems being dealt with likely have underlying emotional and mental stress-related issues that have not been adequately handled. Once the root of these issues is fleshed out, building healthy thought processes and coping mechanisms can be accomplished. It can be more challenging for a person to move forward in treatment successfully if they dont deal with their demons and do the internal self-work needed. Therapy can be individual, group, or family, giving support, advice, and accountability.
Treatment Approaches For Drug Addiction Drugfacts
NOTE: This fact sheet discusses research findings on effective treatment approaches for drug abuse and addiction. If youre seeking treatment, you can call the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP or go to for information on hotlines, counseling services, or treatment options in your state.
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How To Help An Addict Who Doesnt Want Help: What To Do And Say
When an addict is in the grips of addiction, he or she may not see anything else, except for whatever is aiding their drug addiction. It is not uncommon for them to be un-amused by almost everything except their drug of choice. Learning how to help an addict who doesnt want help, is crucial for treatment to be possible.
Before speaking with your addicted loved one, make sure you research treatment options. If you are this far along in the process of trying to help them, you must have somewhat of an idea as to what you are dealing with.
Never accuse, insult, or berate an addict. This is just more fuel for them to continue using. Try a softer approach at first. And by no means, should you ever enable their addiction. The best way to help an addict is to care. If they are not willing to get help, do not ever blame yourself. The decision of them entering rehab is solely on them. Do not beat yourself up.
There is hope, though. Addiction treatment has helped many addicts regain full control of their lives, oftentimes, claiming their lives are better than they ever were. You started by asking, how to help someone with drug addiction and depression and how to help an addict who doesnt want help. Thats a great place to start. If you know anyone who is struggling, or need help looking for treatment facilities, give Better Addiction Care a call at 1-800-429-7690.
