Severe mental illness and substance use linked

To many it has always seemed that a substance addiction and a mental health disorder were a packaged deal, but is this comorbidity as prevalent as it seems? New research suggests this is the case. Researchers from Washington University School of Medicine St. Louis and the University of Southern California have conducted a large-scale study of roughly 20,000 individuals containing 9,142 people who had been diagnosed with severe psychotic illnesses (bipolar, schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder). Nicotine, alcohol, marijuana, and recreational drug usage was observed for both the healthy controls, and those with a psychiatric disorder.  The results showed that alcohol, nicotine, and marijuana usage was significantly higher amongst individuals with psychiatric disorders.  While many believe that drug abuse can lead to mental illness, the opposite is just as true. In many cases substances are used as self-medication to quell symptoms of disorders such as schizophrenia. Of course, the self-inflicted and societal dangers of a disorder such as schizophrenia are only exacerbated by drug abuse problems. Unfortunately, for those with comorbid disorders it is common practice for only one to be treated (usually the psychiatric disorder) due to the belief that two disorders simply can’t be treated at the same time, and that treating a drug addiction will only further disturb mental state. It is vitally important to understand how these psychological issues affect one another in order to determine the proper ways to improve treatments for both categories, and ways to prevent those who have psychotic disorders from developing drug abuse issues.

http://thefix.com/content/severe-mental-illness-and-substance-use-linked