Do drug problems cause mental illness or does mental illness cause drug problems?
It is often hard to tell which problem came first – the drugs or the mental illness. Having a mental illness can result in a person increasing their use of alcohol and other drugs since in the short-term it gives them a sense of feeling better - getting some relief from the feelings and thoughts they are experiencing.
However, if a person has a mental illness, pretty well all use of alcohol and other drugs like marijhuana, ecstasy, meth-amphetamines (‘ice’) and heroin will make a mental illness worse. A small number of marijhuana users have reported developing depression or schizophrenia-like symptoms from just one use of the drug.
Other people may develop a mental health problem as a consequence of their use of alcohol and/or other drugs. This is a particular risk for adolescents when their brains are undergoing considerable changes. So delaying any use of alcohol and other drugs until early adulthood is a good thing for our mind.
Some drugs can cause a condition called drug-induced psychosis, which usually passes after a few days. If someone has a predisposition to a psychotic illness such as schizophrenia, these drugs may trigger the first episode in what can be a lifelong mental illness.
A key point here is - using alcohol and other drugs in the long term makes any mental illnesses worse and treatment less effective.
How many people have a drug and mental illness?
People with mental illnesses often have drug problems at the same time. This is called co-morbidity or a co-existing condition. Statistics show that around 64% of people in psychiatric in-patient wards have, or have had a drug problem.
More generally, around 50% of people with common mental health problems such depression and anxiety attempt to manage their symptoms with drugs and/or alcohol.
Around 75% of all people with drug problems may have a mental illness, and about 90% of males with schizophrenia may have a drug problem.
Bottom line is - mental health and alcohol and other drug problems are often co-existing.
What are signs that you might have a drug problem?
Using any type of recreational drug – be it nicotine, alcohol or a street drug – can be a problem if it changes the way people:
-
Act (less motivated, irritable, anxious, aggressive)
-
Live their life (not getting on with people, not having enough money, finding it hard to keep living in the same house, getting in trouble with the law)
-
Look (losing or gaining weight).
For more information on including facts, diagnosis, treatment and where to go for help please refer to the following fact sheets.
More Information
> Depression - Mental Illness Fellowship of Australia (MIFA)
> Reducing Alcohol and Other Drugs - beyondblue
> Smoking and Mental Illness - SANE Australia
For more fact sheets, visit the A-Z Factsheets section.