Clinically Reviewed on by Dr Alexander Lapa (Psychiatrist) All information on this page has been reviewed and verified by a certified addiction professional.
Known to suppress the central nervous system, impact emotional responses and decrease awareness, substance abuse is a very damaging habit to enable.
Through the dysfunctional symptoms that it causes comes the risk of further physical and psychological vulnerabilities, with a focus on the dual diagnosis of depression.
As drug and alcohol exposure, to a consistent degree, can adapt emotional and rational responses, depression is an unfortunate result of such a whirlwind, from the impacts of physical consumption to addiction consequences.
Those who encounter depression as a primary condition, which can be caused by environments, genetics, trauma, stress, and change are found at an increased risk of utilising unhealthy coping strategies.
Substance abuse is one of those coping strategies, which can result in a temporary fix through stimulating the mind, offering respite from symptoms of depression, and elevating positive emotions and feelings. Yet as a temporary relief, it can carry the risk of ongoing requirement, also increasing the chances of addiction.
Through either causation, both substance abuse and depression are evidently a toxic mix of conditions, which naturally start innocently, yet can amount to a dual diagnosis.
If you’re either consuming drugs and alcohol to mask the symptoms of depression or feel low through excessive substance abuse, reaching out for dual diagnosis treatment will be necessary.
At Asana lodge, we’re here to support you through your experiences of substance abuse and depression, to promote sustainable withdrawal and depression management. Avoid self-medicating through mental health problems, instead opting for professional dual diagnosis treatment.
In the moment of consumption, drugs and alcohol can release many positive feelings and encounters. They are consumed for such highs, which can sometimes be short-lived, yet feel worth it to users.
While positive reinforcements are linked to substance abuse, as withdrawal hits, those highs will amount to lows, to withdrawal symptoms and to cravings, fully reflecting the presence of addiction.
Although addiction will not be the diagnosis for every individual, abusing drugs and alcohol, the emotional turmoil created by their presence can cause cognitive weaknesses and concerns, with a focus on depression.
Dealing with the withdrawal from drugs and alcohol, dealing with the consequences of addiction and dealing with the uncontrollable process of such behaviours can be unnerving and stressful. Such feelings can incur a spiral of depression, down to the unswerving hold that substance abuse can have.
Types of depression can result from unstable emotions and the dysfunctional processes that substance abuse causes. Through enabling substance abuse and depression, even greater instability is expected, requiring treatment, depression management and withdrawal.
Requiring input of depression management, such emotional responses and symptoms can amount to very low times. Depression is a change in mood, for the worst, which can be caused by a range of triggers.
Common triggers include ill-health, trauma, stress, death, accidents, and some personality defects.
As depression can be challenging to live with, where loneliness, instability, withdrawal, and low self-awareness are all common consequences, looking for a way out from such feelings is very normal. One of the most common yet discouraging forms of escapism is drug and alcohol consumption, to the degree of abuse.
Excessively consuming drugs and alcohol, also known as substance abuse, is a regular response to control the consistency and intensity of symptoms of depression.
Such consumption is longed for, for the positive feelings that substances can provide. Yet, becoming attached to such feelings can be a risk for someone with depression, also susceptible to addiction risks.
Through leaning on unhealthy coping strategies, such stimuli can in fact cause an even greater problem, over depression, while also aggravating pre-existing symptoms. This is how severe substance abuse and depression can be as a dual diagnosis.
As feeling low is a general response to negative stimuli, the diagnosis of depression is heavily thrown around. Down to this, it is important that clinical depression is defined, to understand its severity and risk of amounting to further issues of substance abuse.
Symptoms of depression include:
If you are experiencing symptoms of depression, either independently or via a dual diagnosis, reaching out for our support at Asana Lodge will be encouraged.
To overcome a dual diagnosis, substance abuse and depression treatment will be required. No matter which condition has aggravated the other, it is vital that dual efforts of treatments are offered, as without full recovery, a dual diagnosis can resurface.
To treat substance abuse, detoxification, addiction treatment services, relapse prevention and therapy will likely be recommended. Treating depression will mainly focus on depression management and dialectical behavioural therapy, to understand and manage symptoms.
Combined, dual efforts will cross over, to help suppress mutual symptoms and aggravations. Yet, independent programmes of treatment must be offered, which you can find here at Asana Lodge.
Any form of dual diagnosis can be testing, on physical and psychological standpoints. Imagine the struggles of substance abuse as an independent condition. Envision depression as a primary mental health issue. Now combine them and consider how damaging each will be, causing a vicious cycle of action.
To deter such action, dual diagnosis treatment must be worked through, to alleviate causations, side effects and consequences. If substance abuse and depression are therefore impacting your life, we’re here for you, to heal your mind, soon followed by your body, behaviours, and presence.
No matter how moderate symptoms of substance abuse or of depression may be for you, risks are present of further materialisation. Avoid such potential, by considering dual diagnosis treatment from our specialist drug rehab centre.
Self-help is positive. Yet when it involves drugs and alcohol, it is discouraged. Instead, help yourself through dual diagnosis treatment.
Get In TouchAre you suffering from substance abuse and depression and need help? If so, Asana Lodge is a leading UK based expert in Dual Diagnosis Treatment. Find out how we can help by getting in touch with our friendly team today. You can either call our confidential helpline or request a callback by clicking on the below form.
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