Drugs can have a variety of adverse effects on your mental health. Some people may experience long-term mental health issues as a result of drug use. However, some mental health conditions may also make individuals more prone to develop a drug addiction creating a cycle of abuse that has a great chance of becoming a well-established addiction.
Regular cannabis usage can make you more vulnerable to developing depression or anxiety. Additionally, there is a connection between cannabis use and the onset of schizophrenia or psychosis.
Cocaine is a stimulant that can cause psychosis and schizophrenia as well as cause previous mental health issues to reoccur. You may experience anxiety, paranoia, and depression after using stimulant medicines. Memory issues might occur for ecstasy users.
Magic mushrooms and other hallucinogenic substances can exacerbate any mental health conditions. They can produce flashbacks, which can be frightful or upsetting and make you feel disassociated from your surroundings.
Combining alcohol or other drugs with prescription medication can be lethal or extremely harmful.
You can feel as though you no longer have control over your drug use or that you need to consume ever-increasing amounts in order to experience its effects. If so, you might be developing an addiction. Drug addiction and mental health issues are related.
Any drug consumption might be risky, and there are no safe amounts.
If your loved one needs support dealing with an Alcohol Addiction, contact us today on 0800 999 1083. We can help you by recommending treatment options.
Psychosis is a term used in medicine. You will perceive the world differently than other individuals if you have psychosis. This may include your experiences, convictions, or worldview.
You might pick up on or observe things that others miss or hold views that really differ from those of others. It’s been called a “break from reality” by some people. The term “psychosis” is used in many different contexts. “Psychotic symptoms,” “psychotic episode,” or “psychotic experience,” for example.”
It can be a sign of a mental condition as well as a transient side effect of some drugs.
The various substance types that may have an effect on your mental health are listed in this section. Please be aware that not all substances are included on this list.
Any substance taken can be risky. Additionally, they can negatively interact with any drugs or other substances you might be taking.
(Also known as bud, bhang, dope, draw, ganja, grass, hash, herb, marijuana, pot, skunk, weed)
One of the most widely used substances in England is cannabis. Cannabis use is more prevalent among adolescents aged 16 to 24. One survey found that 1 in 13 adults between the ages of 16 and 59 had used it in the past year. The same data reveals that between 2018 and 2019, little under one in five young individuals consumed cannabis.
Some individuals use cannabis because it makes them feel calm or joyful, but it can also make them feel uneasy or paranoid. It’s possible for some people to have unreal experiences. This is a symptom of psychosis brought on by drugs. According to several studies, you may be more likely to develop psychosis if you:
Schedule a quick appointment with your general practitioner if you’ve been using cannabis and believe it impacts your health. Your doctor shouldn’t pass judgement on you or inform others that you use drugs.
(Also known as Bevvies, Booze)
Some individuals who suffer from mental illnesses have issues with alcohol use. Alcohol is easy to obtain because it is legal. It may exacerbate the symptoms of several mental health conditions. The quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption also affect its long-term effects. You risk serious bodily and emotional harm if you regularly consume too much alcohol.
You might do something you wouldn’t typically do if you hadn’t drunk. Suicide and self-harm are examples of this. A very high alcohol intake can also lead to psychosis.
(Also known as Plant Food, NPS, Mdat, Eric 3, Dimethocaine and Bath salts)
These are medications with one or more chemical ingredients. They have effects that are comparable to those of ecstasy, cocaine, and cannabis.
Some of the medicines now classified as NPS were once referred to as “legal highs.” This is a phrase that is frequently used. It has been used since some NPS were authorised prior to 2016. The term is currently incorrect, though, as they are officially forbidden as of 2016.
Depending on what you consume, NPS can have short-term effects.
New psychoactive substances have the potential to induce bewilderment and a sense of terror. You can also have hallucinations. You experience things that other people do not when you see, smell, hear, or feel them. Your behaviour may change as a result of hallucinations. Your actions may become unpredictable, which could endanger yourself and others.
These substances may impair your judgement, which may also put you in danger.
NPS can sometimes be highly harmful. They have the ability to severely harm or kill you. When used with alcohol or other psychoactive drugs, this risk is increased.
(Also known as Crystal Meth, Ice, Meth, Glass, Whizz, Speed, Billy, Base, Yaba, Tina and Christine)
These medications may temporarily awaken and energise you. You could get drug-induced psychosis as a result of them. You may find it difficult to unwind or sleep as a result. Amphetamines may cause anxiety and depression over time. They might become addicting.
When you stop using the medication, you can experience depression and have trouble falling asleep.
(Also known as Benzos, Blues, Downers, Roofies, Vallies, Diazepam, Rohypnol, Valium, Xanax)
Benzodiazepines are a type of tranquillizer. A doctor may occasionally advise you to take benzodiazepines to treat your anxiety. They are applied to anxiety treatment. They can also be used to relax muscles. However, due to its calming properties, individuals also purchase them illegally. Doctors only prescribe them for a brief period of time since they might be addictive.
These drugs can help you feel more at ease in the short term. Depending on the type, they could also leave you feeling disoriented or excessively tired.
It might be hazardous to combine benzodiazepines with other drugs or alcohol. Your respiration may be impacted. Additionally, it may raise the danger of overdose and death.
Some people eventually develop an addiction which may significantly impact how they live their lives.
(Also known as Blow, Crack, Coke, Charlie, Chang, Freebase, Sniff, Snow)
Cocaine might temporarily make you feel alert, communicative, and self-assured. You can experience fatigue and depression when this wears off.
Long-term cocaine use may have an impact on how you feel. Your interactions with friends and relatives may be impacted. Cocaine is also addictive, and over time, it increases your risk of developing persistent issues with anxiety, paranoia, or despair.
Cocaine can lead to convulsions, heart attacks, and strokes. You run a higher risk of overdosing or passing out if you combine it with other substances.
(Also known as E, MDMA, MD, Molly, Pills, XTC)
Ecstasy may temporarily give you an upbeat, joyous, conversational, and self-assured feeling. You might also have anxiety, confusion, or drug-induced psychosis as a result of it occasionally.
Ecstasy use over time may result in memory loss. You can also experience anxiety and despair.
(Also known as Brown, Gear, H, Smack, Skag)
Heroin has the ability to temporarily calm and uplift you. It alleviates pain and might put you to sleep. But compared to other substances, heroin carries a greater chance of overdose or excessive use.
There are many different ways to consume heroin, including injection. However, if you inject heroin, especially if you share needles with another person, you run a significant chance of contracting an infection.
Heroin is incredibly addicting. It may have negative long-term consequences. You can feel that heroin takes precedence over other aspects of your life. This could harm your relationships and make it more challenging to hold a job.
(Also known as Acid, Blotter, Trips, Micro-dot)
LSD may temporarily cause you to have unreal experiences. The encounter will be pleasurable at times and frightening at others. We call this a poor trip.
LSD use can exacerbate mental health issues if you have a history of them. It can be frightening to panic while using LSD. Additionally, LSD may cause mental health issues that you have never had before.
Although one does not always directly cause the other, substance addiction and mental health conditions like anxiety and depression are intimately related. Alcohol can exacerbate the symptoms of melancholy and anxiety, while consuming drugs like methamphetamine or marijuana excessively can lead to protracted psychotic responses.
Consequently:
You might be granted a “dual diagnosis” if you abuse drugs and have a serious mental health issue. Because both conditions might be the cause and consequence of one another, your mental illness may have caused you to abuse drugs or vice versa, or they may not have been related at all.
If you have a dual diagnosis, drug treatment services should not be in control of your care. Rather, mental health services should. They can suggest alternative assistance resources, such as housing, welfare, or employment.
In your location, there might be a dual diagnosis team. If not, request a referral from your GP to your neighbourhood community mental health team (CMHT).
It might be challenging for some persons with a dual diagnosis to receive the necessary care. For instance, you might have been informed that your drug usage prevents you from receiving mental health care. The government’s advice is clear, though: if you have a drug problem, mental health providers should make every effort to assist you. According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), you should not be turned away from mental health support.
If your mental health team rejects you, find out why. To demonstrate your eligibility for assistance, see if they have a policy on eligibility. If not, return to your doctor and request assistance.
In addition, you can contact Compare Rehab UK to receive help and support in finding the best option for your circumstances.
Both substance misuse and mental health problems frequently involve denial. If you admit you have a problem, you could feel humiliated or terrified of being seen as weak. Admitting your dependence on alcohol or drugs or how much they have impacted your life can be challenging.
The signs of illnesses like PTSD, bipolar disorder, anxiety, or depression can also be frightening, so you might try to ignore them in the hopes that they will go away.
However, anyone can develop a substance use disorder or a mental health condition. And the first step on the road to recovery is acknowledging you have a problem and asking for help.
Diagnoses of co-occurring disorders can often be challenging. One explanation is that the symptoms can range in severity and are frequently complex. People frequently obtain treatment for one disorder while the other disorder is left untreated as a result. This occasionally occurs as a result of the symptoms’ extreme similarity or overlap. In other words, biological, psychological, and social components may be common to addiction and mental health concerns.
Inadequate screening or counselling could be another factor in the failure to diagnose both illnesses.
In any event, co-occurring disorders that are misdiagnosed, untreated, or inadequately treated can increase the risk of homelessness, incarceration, disease, and even suicide. Furthermore, those who abuse drugs or alcohol and have mental health concerns are more likely to act violently or impulsively, which could get them into difficulty with the law. For them, maintaining long-term sobriety becomes more and more challenging.
It can be challenging to recognise a dual diagnosis. It takes time to distinguish between potential mental health disorders and potential drug or alcohol problems. Both the mental health issue and the substance being misused, whether it be alcohol, illicit substances, or prescription pharmaceuticals, affect the signs and symptoms. The symptoms of depression and marijuana misuse, for instance, could be extremely distinct from those of schizophrenia and alcoholism.
There are, however, a few widespread indicators that you might have a co-occurring disorder:
The best treatment for co-occurring disorders is an integrated strategy in which the mental disease and the substance addiction issue are treated concurrently. Regardless of whether your mental health or drug abuse problem started initially, receiving therapy for both conditions from the same treatment provider or team is essential for long-term recovery.
Depending on the kind of issues you’re having:
Don’t go through the process of recovery alone. Treatment providers can answer your questions. Get in touch with one today.
Call 0800 999 1083 today!
Verify the program’s certification and accreditation, the validity of the treatment approaches, and the existence of a relapse prevention follow-up programme. The program’s familiarity with your particular mental health issue is something else you should look into. For instance, some programmes may not have addressed schizophrenia or bipolar disease when treating depression or anxiety.
There are a variety of techniques that treatment programmes can take, but there are a few fundamental traits of good treatment that you should look for:
The NHS may refer to your condition as having a “dual diagnosis” or a “co-occurring diagnosis” if you use drugs and have a mental disorder. There may be a policy at your local NHS trust that details how they will assist patients with dual diagnoses.
A recommended first step is to schedule an appointment with your GP if you are not currently receiving assistance with your mental health from your local mental health service. In order to manage your mental condition, your doctor may suggest both medicine and counselling. They suggest you contact a drug and alcohol service to assist you with your drug use. You may require additional specialised assistance if your needs are too complex for your GP to handle alone. Your local mental health team or general practitioner can recommend you to one.
NHS waiting lists are often too long for someone suffering from serious addiction and mental health problems. At Compare Rehab UK, we can offer guidance and refer you to one of the many inpatient rehab clinics nationwide. They ought to provide the support you need and address your complex needs. You shouldn’t be denied care if you battle with severe mental health disorders in addition to an alcohol or drug addiction.
Call us on X0800 999 1083 for confidential help and to discuss treatment options.
No matter where you live, there are drug and alcohol rehab options for you to discover. Treatment providers are waiting to answer your questions. Get started today.
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