Source: Transly Translation Agency / Unsplash
Mental health and addiction often share a tangled relationship, with each one feeding off and fueling the other. In fact, it’s estimated that nearly 38 percent of adults with substance use disorders also battle mental health challenges, while 18 percent of adults facing mental illness experience substance use issues. But these aren’t just statistics; they represent people struggling with more than one obstacle on the path to recovery.
Why should this matter? Because successful addiction recovery isn’t just about overcoming substance use—it’s about addressing the emotional and psychological challenges that drive it. By recognizing the powerful link between mental health and addiction, we can craft treatment approaches that offer lasting change, not just temporary fixes.
How exactly do mental health and addiction recovery work hand-in-hand? To explore this, I interviewed Dr. James Flowers, co-founder of J. Flowers Health Institute and a leading health innovator and advocate for holistic wellness, to gain his expert insights.
1. Shared Neurobiological Pathways
One important aspect of mental health and addiction is that they often affect the same areas of the brain. For example, experts indicate that chemicals in the brain like dopamine and serotonin, which help regulate our mood and emotions, can influence both mental health issues and addiction. When these chemicals become imbalanced, it can change how the brain processes rewards, increasing the likelihood of developing an addiction.
Research shows that disruptions in these brain pathways can lead to both mental health challenges and addiction. As we’ve gained more knowledge about how the brain functions, doctors and experts have been able to develop more effective treatment plans. This includes preventing addiction by addressing factors that can be changed in a person’s life and using medications to support recovery.
By understanding how the brain influences both mental health and addiction, healthcare providers can offer treatment that’s more personalized and effective for each individual.
2. The Importance of Dual Diagnosis
Dual diagnosis—or co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders—are relatively common among adults in the United States. With co-occurring disorders being so widespread, it is clear that both issues need to take priority to ensure effective addiction recovery practices.
As Flowers explained in a recent conversation, “A holistic approach is essential for effectively addressing both addiction and mental health issues simultaneously. By focusing on an individual’s mental health alongside their addiction recovery needs, we can significantly reduce the risk of relapse. Enhancing overall mental health is crucial for tackling the underlying factors that often contribute to substance misuse in the first place.”
3. The Influence of Trauma on Recovery
Understanding the relationship between trauma, mental health disorders, and addiction is another key factor for ensuring better patient outcomes. For instance, The National Institute on Drug Abuse notes that traumatic experiences such as violence, family conflict, and abuse are linked with a greater risk of substance use disorders. This is particularly prevalent among children and teens who experience trauma, as well as individuals who have been diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Trauma can change the brain in ways that make individuals more sensitive to stressful events and less capable of coping with everyday stressors. This often results in maladaptive coping strategies, including substance use.
To promote mental health and addiction recovery, healthcare professionals must provide a safe and supportive environment for recovery. By acknowledging an individual’s past trauma, providing healthy environmental influences, and helping develop healthy coping strategies, healthcare professionals can improve mental health outcomes in a way that lessens the risk of substance abuse.
4. The Role of Mindfulness and Behavioral Therapy
With an understanding of the relationship between mental health and addiction recovery, a growing movement has come to recognize cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and mindfulness interventions as important elements of a holistic treatment approach.
As Flowers notes, “CBT and mindfulness interventions are designed to help individuals develop healthy coping strategies, recognize the triggers that contribute to their addictive behaviors and learn how to manage their stress and triggers in healthy ways. Helping individuals implement positive behavioral changes is essential for them to develop healthy habits that will lead to lasting change.”
Addiction Essential Reads
Research has found behavioral therapy to be an effective solution for addiction recovery when used on its own and in conjunction with other treatment solutions. CBT and mindfulness therapy that addresses both substance use and mental health concerns improves outcomes across the board.
5. The Power of Social Support
Finally, healthcare professionals must not overlook the role that social support plays in both addiction recovery and mental health. While a healthcare professional is certainly part of the social support that an individual struggling with these issues needs, they are often not sufficient on their own.
Social support has been consistently found to positively influence compliance with addiction treatment programs, as well as influence stress levels and subjective well-being. Support may come in the form of support groups, family, and peer recovery programs.
Meaningful emotional support encourages the development of healthy behaviors. In many instances, new relationships that are developed as part of this process can help individuals in recovery be less inclined to participate in unhealthy behaviors due to the social standards of those who are offering support.
Of course, such influencers must be truly positive and supportive, as social connections who stigmatize those with mental health and addiction challenges can do more harm than good.
Bottom Line
As these principles reveal, mental health and addiction recovery share a complex, yet tightly woven relationship. When healthcare professionals are cognizant of the relationships between mental health and addiction and adopt integrated treatment solutions, they can achieve more effective outcomes. By addressing mental health and addiction challenges together, individuals can get the full level of support they need to ensure lasting recovery.
© 2024 Ryan C. Warner, Ph.D.