|
Many people who have drug problems also have mental health problems. Here are some examples of mental health problems:
- Depression: Depression makes you feel very sad and tired.
- Anxiety: Anxiety makes you feel nervous, worried and afraid.
- Bipolar Disorder: Bipolar disorder makes your mood change back and forth. You might be full of energy, excited or angry. Then you might feel sad, tired and hopeless.
- ADHD (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder): ADHD makes you have trouble paying attention. It might be hard to sit still and focus.
- Antisocial Personality Disorder: Antisocial personality disorder makes it hard to have good relationships and care about other people's feelings.
Why are people with mental health problems more likely to also have drug problems?
Drug use and mental health problems affect the same parts of the brain. This is part of the reason some people have both problems. Also, if someone feels really bad, they might try to make it better by using drugs. However, that doesn't usually work for very long. Instead, they may become addicted to drugs and then feel even worse than before.
A drug problem can make a mental health problem worse, and a mental health problem can make a drug problem worse. Someone with both of these problems needs treatment for both at the same time to get better. People who think they have both problems should tell their doctor.
Reference:
U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), Easy-to-Read Drug Facts. (n.d.). Drug use and mental health problems often happen together. Retrieved 15 August 2019 from https://easyread.drugabuse.gov