Can Substance Use Induce Mental Health Problems?
By LAMSA
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“Delusions”, photo credit: Pablo
Conditions associated to Substance Use can be:
- Substance Use Disorders (SUD)
- Substance Induced Disorders:
- Intoxication (Symptoms of “high” specific to each class of substances)
- Withdrawal (Symptoms of craving which is behind the urge to use the substance again)
- Mental Disorders (Not existing before using substances)
Mental Health problems induced by substance use can be:
- Psychotic disorders
- Bipolar disorders
- Depressive disorders
- Anxiety disorders
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorders (OCD)
- Sleep disorders
- Sexual dysfunctions
When someone experiences a mental illness and a substance use disorder (SUD) simultaneously, clinicians, according to DSM V*, use the term of Dual Diagnosis (co-occurring disorders).
In Dual Diagnosis, either disorder -substance use or mental health- can develop first
In the case of Dual Diagnosis, the two disorders should be treated simultaneously.
LAMSA note:
Please ask for help if you or someone you know is using drugs and/or has mental problems.
References:
*DSM V (DSM 5): The Diagnostic sand Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition