Significant Statistics

According to research by mental health statistics 1 in every 4 individuals suffers from mental health once in their lifetime. Dual diagnosis defines it as a condition of having a mental health disorder simultaneously with a problem of substance abuse. When a patient presents with symptoms of both a substance abuse disorder and a mental health disorder, they are living with a Dual Diagnosis. When a patient is seen to have both a mental health disorder and a drug abuse disorder, this is known as a Dual Diagnosis. The list of possible combinations is endless – alcoholism combined with mental illness, crystal meth addiction, eating disorders, addiction to marijuana and schizophrenia, opioid addiction and mental health statistics. Therefore, as a result, many Americans are dealing with this problem and unable to get the care they need to recover.

Dual Diagnosis (or Mental disorder and Substance use disorder) can be made up of any combination (e.g., alcoholism and depression, painkiller dependence and anxiety disorder, addiction with marijuana and bipolar disorder, etc.). The symptoms and issues of one substance abuse disorder may cause another mental health problem mental health statistics. Patient with this condition are presented with challenges ahead, dual diagnosis causes rehospitalization, worsening of symptoms after progress has been made through treatment, Human Immuno-Deficiency Virus (HIV) (resulting from engagement in unsafe habits, e.g. intravenous injections of drugs with used needles and syringe) and or Hepatitis C.

In contrast to symptoms, those with either a mental health disorder or drug-related disorders appear to be more serious and severe. Yet, they often suffer from similar comorbidity mental health statistics. Self-medication is one of the most common problems associated with a dual diagnosis. Self-medication is described as the use of drugs or alcohol to alleviate the symptoms of a mental disorder. Conversely, using drugs as a coping mechanism for mental illness or behavioural disorders can lead to addiction, worsening the underlying mental health statistics.

A single set of characteristics does not describe a patient with a Dual Diagnosis. The medical criteria are straightforward: the patient must have a long-term drug or alcohol addiction problem, as well as a series of symptoms that qualify them for a mental health diagnosis. According to mental health statistics, the average Dual Diagnosis patient is between the ages of 25 and 50, male, and working. There are no distinguishing features, however. Patients may be men, women, or transgender; working, unemployed, or retired from the workforce; young or old; wealthy or poor; and live anywhere in the United States.

Mental Health Disorders Related to Drug Abuse

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

As a way to deal with their symptoms, patients that have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can be more likely to misuse drugs. Stimulants are often used to treat ADHD, but they can become addictive and this can cause a dangerous cycle of drug misuse.

Bipolar Disorder

Addiction affects about fifty per cent of people diagnosed with bipolar disorder. It’s tempting, as in any other illness, to engage in self-medication. For people with bipolar disorder, substances offer transient relief from stressful situations and manic spells.

Personality Disorders

According to studies, substance use, alcoholism, and borderline personality disorder often coexist. More than half of people diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder have used drugs or alcohol at some stage in their lifetime. It’s impossible to mask the symptoms of a Dual Diagnosis. Many patients with untreated mental health statistics cannot control their symptoms, act erratically, and have tumultuous or unstable relationships with others. If you think your loved one will benefit from a Dual Diagnosis treatment facility, you can assist them in finding one.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) frequently publishes different researches and studies to examine the diverse causes, effects, signs, and symptoms, treatment options which is the medical management options for Dual Diagnosis.

Some of These Facts and Statistics Found Include the Following:

• As stated by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 45 per cent of Americans suffer from a dual diagnosis. People diagnosed with mental health disorder have a high risk of having a drug use disorder than the general population.
• It is estimated that a little above 17 million American young adults over the age of 18 (or about 8 per cent of the American adult population) have had a severe mental health disorder in the previous year. About twenty-three per cent of this population were also involved in substance use and alcohol intake frequently. This, therefore, points to the fact that about 23 per cent of American young adults have a dual diagnosis.
• The number of patients in opioid rehab seeking treatment for addiction problems diagnosed with a co-occurring mental health condition rose from 12 per cent to 16 per cent over a six-year span.
• Around 7.2 per cent of patients with co-occurring conditions are over the age of 50, compared to 28% of patients with a mental health condition but no drug abuse problems.
• Patients with dual diagnoses are often able to operate. In reality, it’s estimated that 10.6% of full-time workers have a substance abuse problem, 10.2% have a significant psychiatric problem, and 2.4 per cent have both mental health and a drug abuse problem (as highlighted in mental health statistics).
• In the previous year, employed men were twice as likely as employed women to have suffered from substance abuse or addiction (13.2 per cent in contrast to 6.9 per cent). Nonetheless, working women were almost twice as likely to have experienced severe mental health problems in the previous year (14.2 per cent compared to 7.3 per cent).
• In a recent study, just 62 per cent of patients who were only diagnosed with a mental health condition were working, compared to 67 per cent of Dual Diagnosis patients.
• More than half of the patients suffering from mental health statistics did not receive a single treatment regimen that could have improved recovery rates and allowed them to return to everyday life quicker.
• Out of about three million American adults who are gainfully employed and diagnosed with a dual diagnosis, only 1.2 million have received treatment and management for substance abuse or mental health disorders. Only about 150,000 received treatment for both disorders (dual diagnosis).
• Those with a Dual Diagnosis are sometimes treated for only one of their ailments. According to estimates, 34% of people with co-occurring conditions undergo mental health care, 2% enroll in opioid recovery, and 12% receive the treatment they need for both disorders.
• Men are diagnosed with co-occurring conditions at a higher rate than women, but the number of women living with a Dual Diagnosis has risen in recent years. The percentage of women admitted to Dual Diagnosis recovery facilities rose from 28% to 44% between 1995 and 2001.
• In the 1990s, most Dual Diagnosis patients were on alcohol as their main medication of choice, to be quoted from mental health statistics. Alcohol is the main drug of abuse for 45 per cent of Dual Diagnosis patients (down from 51 per cent) and 38 per cent of all other substance-abusing patients since the turn of the millennium (down from 45 per cent).
• Prescription painkillers saw the greatest rise in use in the 2000s of any drug. Prescription opiates such as OxyContin, Percocet, Lortab, and others are used by about 21% of Dual Diagnosis patients (up from 13 per cent).
• Only 6% of Americans with a substance abuse disorder and mental illness received mental health treatment alone, 2% received only alcohol rehab care, and 12% received dual diagnosis treatment, which cares for both disorders simultaneously. Treatment that addresses both conditions is key to improving mental health statistics.
• Prescription drug use in patients with co-occurring conditions has gradually increased since 2000, increasing from 13 per cent to 21 per cent in recent years.
• Treatment facilities are gradually serving patients with co-occurring disabilities. The number of facilities providing Dual Diagnosis treatment programs increased by 4% over a six-year period. However, only 16% of all substance abuse treatment facilities have specialized mental health treatment to provide adequate care to Dual Diagnosis patients.
• Just 38% of patients admitted for treatment for co-occurring disorders in 1995 were female. By 2001, the figure had risen to 44%. Contrasted to the number of women who sought treatment for drug-related problems, which stayed stuck at around 35% during the same period, the mental health statistics are important.
• According to one report, up to a third of patients diagnosed with a mental health problem and a substance abuse problem in college were abusing prescription drugs.
• Substance misuse affects about 50% of people with serious mental illnesses. 37% of alcoholics and 53% of opioid addicts use alcohol.
• Comorbid conditions are predominant in 18.5 per cent of clients seeking special institutional tertiary treatment and in particular subgroups such as adolescents and young adults (fifty-five per cent) and those diagnosed with certain personality disorders (twenty-four per cent).

Attempting to treat one of the co-occurring conditions individually and only addressing the other issue is usually unsuccessful. In the past, treating a person’s substance abuse before resolving mental health problems was considered common procedure if the symptoms were triggered by drug and alcohol abuse. However, studies based on mental health statistics found that this approach was unsuccessful since patients tended to relapse while their mental health conditions – mostly the ones for which they were self-medicating – remained unmanaged and untreated.

If you or someone you care for has been diagnosed with both a mental health problem and a substance abuse or addiction illness, don’t wait to get them the help they need. Call us right now 615-490-9376 to find the right software for your loved one to learn more about mental health statistics.