How Addiction Affects Mental Health
Addiction counsellors are all too aware of how mental health and addiction can interplay with one another. Mental health can drive people to addiction.
Addiction, in turn, can worsen a person’s mental state, which can lead them to more substance use. Because of this, many rehab centres are also equipped to treat mental health issues.
Substances such as alcohol can worsen depression, as they are depressants. Some drugs, like meth or heroin, can alter a person’s brain structure and chemistry to the point that they develop psychological conditions such as psychosis. Sometimes, these conditions can last months or even years after a person stops using them.
Substance addiction can also lead to other forms of addiction, or at least co-occur with it. For example, many people who have a substance addiction can have a behavioural addiction such as gambling. These behavioural addictions can further worsen a person’s mental state.
