Substance Use Disorder (SUD) is a manageable mental condition affecting behavior and brain function, causing loss of control over substance use. Severity varies, with addiction being the most extreme. SUD often coexists with other mental health issues like:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- ADHD
- Bipolar disorder
- Personality disorders
For your mental health matters, it is important that you consult medical professionals for your addiction treatment.
According to the statistics, 8% of adults aged 12 and above fit the diagnostic criteria for substance addiction. Four types of behaviors are used to classify substance use disorders:
1. Lack of control
The following symptoms show a lack of control:
- Trouble regulating the amount of medicine you take or how long you use it
- Several prior attempts to cut back or stop using
- Investing a significant portion of the day in obtaining, utilizing, and coping with the side effects of drug
- Cravings or overwhelming impulses to use the drug.
2. Social effects
- Adverse impact on your capacity to finish assignments at home, at work, or in school
- The sensation that, despite the drug’s detrimental effects on your relationships, you can’t give it up
- Removing oneself from activities related to job, relationships, or hobbies because of substance abuse.
3. Risky use
- Utilizing the medication in circumstances that increase your risk of bodily injury
- Using the drug despite the fact that it aggravates and causes the symptoms of a variety of illnesses, including mental health.
4. Physical dependence
Substance abuse and drug dependency can coexist, while substance use disorders can occasionally result from the development of drug dependence. Dependence involves:
- Greater degrees of drug tolerance
- Signs of withdrawal after reducing or trying to stop using
How to treat SUD?
It is best to treat co-occurring SUD and other mental health issues at the same time. Because symptoms often overlap, accurate diagnosis is difficult and requires thorough assessment techniques.
Based on the individual, necessary treatments must be given considering the factors like:
- Age
- Degree of substance abuse
- Type of disorders.
Those who are adults can be treated through behavioral therapies. Family members are often included when offering behavioral therapies.
Teenagers will also need certain medications along with behavioral therapies. Addictions to alcohol, nicotine, or opioids can be treated with medications.
