Drug Addiction, Alcoholism and Depression
Drug addiction and depression have always had a very complicated and intertwined relationship. Substance abuse and mental illnesses like depression are found together so frequently that doctors came up with a term for the co-occurring disorders, dual diagnosis. According to The US Department of Health and Human Services, individuals who suffer from major depression have higher rates of alcoholism and drug addiction. This same study found that more than 1 out of every 5 adults who experienced an episode of depression in the previous year also engaged in substance abuse. These daunting statistics left researchers wondering, which came first, the drug addiction problems or the depression?
How Substance Abuse Can Lead to Depression
Substance abuse can lead to depression in a variety of ways. Experts agree that extreme and prolonged substance abuse can cause psychiatric problems in those addicted. Symptoms of depression are commonly reported as are hallucinations to a lesser extent. Depressive symptoms can develop as a result of a current alcohol or drug addiction like with alcohol for example, a known depressant. Depressive symptoms can also come as a result of withdrawal symptoms or a “come down” from the high of a drug like cocaine. There are instances when the depression can be short-lived when coming as a result of substance abuse but there are instances as well where the symptoms turn into a full blown, prolonged illness.
How Untreated Depression Can Lead to Alcoholism and Drug Addiction
This cause and effect relationship has been incredibly well documented by addiction specialists, psychologists and psychiatrists alike. Depression when it is untreated can be all-consuming. You feel an intense sadness and hopelessness that lasts for weeks at a time. Activities that you used to enjoy no longer make you happy. Your personal feelings of inadequacy can be so overwhelming you question what the point of continuing is. You become desperate to numb the pain and silence the negative thoughts and feelings in your head so you turn to drugs and alcohol. This act of self-medicating can turn into drug addiction and/or alcoholism very quickly when you become dependent on a substance to make you feel a certain way. Unfortunately drug and alcohol abuse only serves to intensify the symptoms of depression over time rather than providing any real relief like the sufferers so desperately desire.
There are other factors that can cause the co-occurring disorders of alcoholism, drug addiction and depression that are independent of the dual diagnosis. A key independent factor that is important to note is an individual’s environment. Excessive stress and trauma for example are known to cause both depression and substance abuse issues in a person. But again, developing one of these disorders increases your risk of developing the other substantially.