Substance Abuse and Mental Health Facilities in Lake Wales, FL
If you live in Lake Wales and you start abusing drugs and alcohol, there is a high risk that you might develop a co-occurring mental health disorder. On the other hand, if you have an undiagnosed mental illness, there is a likelihood that you might start abusing these substances to self-medicate the symptoms of your mental illness.
Research studies show that substance abuse and mental health disorders tend to have some underlying causes in common. These might include changes in the composition of the brain, early exposure to traumatic and stressful events, and genetic vulnerabilities.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
If you have post-traumatic stress disorder, you might react to the current environment especially when it reminds you of the past trauma that you suffered, witnessed, or experienced. In this condition, your brain would respond as if you were still living in the past. As a result, it could trigger stress, fear, and anxiety.
Over time, you might even experience suicidal thoughts as a result of your PTSD condition. If you abuse alcohol and drugs, these thoughts could be intensified. To protect and preserve yourself, it is recommended that you seek help for this condition as well as work on overcoming your addiction before it is too late.
Psychosis
Did you know that you can develop psychosis as a result of going through withdrawal after abusing drugs and alcohol for a long time? If you are addicted to and dependent on these substances and you suddenly stop taking them or significantly reduce their use, there is a high risk that you could experience withdrawal syndrome.
Psychosis that is induced by withdrawal from drugs often involves alcohol. Alcohol addiction that has been ongoing for a long time can significantly change the chemical structure of the brain. Eventually, you might suffer delirium tremens when you stop drinking. This condition will cause symptoms that are similar to those produced by psychosis.
It is recommended that you seek dual diagnosis treatment to manage all of the disorders that you have been struggling with simultaneously so that one does not cause the other to recur in the future.
This is especially true if you have been diagnosed with both substances abuse as well as another co-occurring mental health or medical disorders. Although these disorders tend to occur at the same time in many cases, it is possible to overcome them. To be able to do so, you will have to go through a highly integrated dual diagnosis treatment program.
