Benefits with Commonwealth of Virginia

Addictions and Emotions

People with addictions may also need to address mental health issues. Most people who have an addiction problem also have some sort of emotional problem. It's called dual diagnosis, meaning two problems at once.

A coexisting emotional problem can make it difficult to battle an addiction, especially if you're doing it on your own. That's why the two issues should be treated at the same time. It's called dual recovery and it offers real hope.

In some treatment programs, you may still hear the message that you need to get clean before you can work on an emotional problem, but that often doesn't work. Getting help for an emotional problem can actually boost your chances of recovery from addiction. For instance, if you're depressed and addicted, proper treatment for both can help you break the link between feeling sad and using substances.

You also may have heard that using prescription medication, such as an antidepressant, is as bad as abusing a substance. But that's false, too. Such medications don't make you "high"; they're delivered in a controlled way and are designed to help you feel normal and stable.

Steps to Take

If you suspect you might have an emotional problem, a good first step is to learn more about it through research. To determine if you have a mental health problem, you'll need a professional evaluation. You don't have to take medication or go to therapy if you feel uncomfortable with either of those options. Just finding out more may be helpful.

Some people worry that a diagnosis will mean they're "crazy," or mistakenly believe that they'll be taken to a hospital against their will. They may be afraid of medication or think therapy is only for weak people. These are misconceptions. If it turns out that you have an emotional problem, you can turn to new medications, psychotherapies, self-help groups, and books.

You may wonder which came first—the addiction or the mental problem. But experts say answering that question isn't as important as following this rule: If you have both, treat both.

Common Emotional Problems

Here are some common problems that addicted people may have:

• Depression: This is feeling down and blue and being unable to shake loose from it.
• Post-Traumatic Stress: After surviving or witnessing a physically harmful experience, such as a rape, assault, or child abuse, you keep reliving it in your mind.
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: You feel the need to keep doing some action over and over, such as hand-washing or checking that you turned off the stove.
• Generalized Anxiety: This is trouble with nerves, which may feel like continual worrying; or frequent physical problems, such as stomach upset.
• Phobia: Your intense fear of something causes significant problems in your life. It might be snakes, flying, crowds, or blood, for example.
• Eating Disorder: You use food to cope with emotional pain. You may do this by bingeing and purging (eating large amounts, then forcing yourself to throw up) or not eating enough.
• Personality Disorder: You relate to others in ways that cause serious problems, which can include repeated criminal behavior, extreme dependence on others, or an inability to sustain friendships.

Everyone has some emotional issues at times, but having a disorder means you have a serious, ongoing problem that interferes with living a normal life.

How to Get Help

There are many ways to get help. Contact the employee assistance program (EAP) provided to you as a benefit by your employer. In your community, call a mental health center or clinic (try the Yellow Pages for listings under "mental health"). Several national nonprofit organizations, including the National Institute of Mental Health, can provide information about screenings and referrals.

The most important thing to know is that you have choices. You can take medication, get therapy, or join a self-help group. Just learning about an emotional problem may be helpful, and you can decide from there if you want to do more.

If you're already dealing with an addiction, you may not want to hear that you have another problem to deal with. But some dually diagnosed people actually feel a sense of relief to finally get an accurate diagnosis that puts them on the path to a true and lasting recovery.

For More Information

National Institute of Mental Health
Link opens in a new windowhttps://www.nimh.nih.gov

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Link opens in a new windowhttps://www.samhsa.gov