Chemical Dependency and Comorbidities

Have you ever thought that a chemical dependent individual may not be “just” chemical dependent?
Something fundamental in the care of chemical dependency is to evaluate the presence of other coexisting psychiatric illnesses.
Psychiatric disorders associated with substance use - so-called psychiatric comorbidities - affects about half of individuals dependent on alcohol and other drugs, with affective disorders, anxiety disorders and personality disorders being more common.
During periods of intoxication or withdrawal of drugs, symptoms that may be common to diseases such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, for example, may arise, and there may be difficulties in diagnosis, especially in the differentiation between pre-existing disorders or secondary to chemical dependence. Investigating the consumption pattern, as well as the temporal relationship between the symptoms presented and the withdrawal from substances helps us in this assessment.
Studies indicate that the coexistence of comorbidities with chemical dependence is associated with more aggressive and impulsive behaviors, greater relapse rates and suicide risk. Therefore, the identification of comorbidities is extremely important to define the prognosis and plan the most appropriate treatment for each of our patients.
Be sure to seek help. It could be you, a friend, a family member - empathy with mental illness brings us closer together in the search for health. Text written by Psychiatrist Clarisse Stefani from the CEFI integration team