Many people with mental illnesses use alcohol or drugs to ease their symptoms. Brain cells, called neurons, have a fatty coating myelin around the transmitting part of the cell. Like insulation, myelin speeds up the transmission of nerve impulses throughout the brain.
Myelinating neurons takes time. The brain is not fully myelinated until around age Circuits that control executive functions such as decision making, emotions, and impulse control are the last to be myelinated fully Substance use before age 25 is a risk factor for developing substance use disorders because chemicals can adversely affect a developing brain.
It may also be a risk factor for developing mental illnesses. This causes a feeling of pleasure and gets encoded as a pleasant memory, contributing to habit development. Over time, the brain adapts to the excess dopamine, and alcohol has the opposite effect, causing dopamine levels to fall rapidly. Dopamine affects mood, memory, movement, motivation, and behavioral reinforcement. Impulsivity and sensation seeking are common traits in individuals with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder ADHD.
An inability to inhibit impulsive behavior has been linked with an increased risk of developing problems with alcohol. Internalizing personality traits and disorders—such as anxiety, depression, and neuroticism—are also associated with a higher risk of alcohol use disorders.
The mechanism is not fully understood, but may be a way of coping. For example, obesity is a risk factor for both high blood pressure and diabetes. If individuals lose weight, their blood sugar may normalize, and they may no longer have diabetes. However, they may still have high blood pressure due to damage to their blood vessels. By the same logic, a person may no longer drink alcohol excessively, but they may still have an anxiety disorder.
These would be considered comorbidities. The concept of comorbidity is especially important in medical treatment because symptoms of one condition can worsen the symptoms of the other.
As another example, the side effect of many medications used to treat depression is weight gain. Depressive symptoms may resolve with treatment, but the weight gain might persist and be a risk factor for other conditions. The preferred treatment for co-occurring disorders is an integrated treatment 14 , with a seamless approach for both substance use and mental disorders. It is also possible to miss the opportunity to treat a substance use disorder or a mental illness because the other condition overshadows its symptoms.
Get medical and coaching support via secure video chat, access anti-craving medications, and manage everything from your smartphone. Your email address will not be published. Last Updated on June 30, There is a strong link between mental illness and substance abuse. What Is a Dual Diagnosis? We work differently to most SE sites, where we have a strict policy that all answers should be backed up with reliable references so that the answer can be independently verified, regardless of the reader's background.
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Now live: A fully responsive profile. Version labels for answers. Related 4. Hot Network Questions. Question feed. Accept all cookies Customize settings. You may also be interested in NICE guidance and the importance of considering multimorbidity. Multi-morbidity — the case for change. People with multiple conditions not only exist but are the mainstream, and our failure to recognise this has put pressure on the system in the NHS. David Paynton argues for new thinking. New Horizons in Multimorbidity in Older Adults.
In recent years the concept of multimorbidity and particularly frailty have been injected with scientific understanding and explanation. We have come to understand the great impact that these issues have on health and social care, and the pressures that they bring to bear.
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