Both mental health disorders and addiction require treatment, as they are chronic conditions that can lead to premature death. If you are wondering how to help your loved one who is struggling with their mental health or substance use, the best answer is to encourage them to reach out for treatment.
Mental illness and substance abuse disorders are epidemics in the United States. While 1 out of every 5 Americans struggle with a mental health disorder, another 23 million Americans have a substance abuse disorder. Drug overdoses are the leading cause of death among Americans under the age of 50, while suicide is the second-leading cause of death among Americans ages 10 to 34.
Addiction and Mental Health
Substance abuse disorders and mental health conditions impact your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. During addiction, your brain’s pleasure and reward center changes and associates your substance of choice with pleasure. Every time you use, your brain releases a powerful surge of pleasurable neurotransmitters. Eventually, your brain becomes dependent on your substance of choice in order to release neurotransmitters. Drugs and alcohol can cause both physical and psychological dependency, which can make recovery difficult without treatment.
Mental health disorders can lead to increasingly severe symptoms that can make it difficult to live a normal life. Some of the most common mental health conditions include:
- Anxiety-related disorders
- Eating disorders
- Mood disorders
- Psychotic disorders
Mental health disorders require a mix of therapy and medications, which can help limit and reduce symptoms and improve your ability to cope with your condition. In both addiction and mental health disorders, denial is common. If you are wondering how to help your loved one, it’s important to remember your loved one may initially deny having a mental health or substance abuse problem.
How to Help Your Loved One
When your loved one is struggling with a mental health disorder or substance abuse problem, you may find yourself trying to find out how to help your loved one. The most important thing you can do to support a loved one is to express understanding and to make sure they know that you’re willing to help. Many mental health disorders can cause symptoms that make it difficult to connect with treatment. For example, anxiety disorders can lead to social anxiety, which can make it hard to call treatment centers.
Offering to help your loved one find treatment is a great way to support them. Another way to find out how to help your loved one is to contact mental health and substance abuse disorder providers directly and ask about their programs. Providing the information directly to your loved one can help the treatment process seem less overwhelming.
Reaching Out for Treatment Today
When a loved one is struggling with addiction or their mental health, you may wonder about how to help your loved one recover. With both mental health and substance abuse disorders, early treatment is essential to recovery. To find out more about our programs and how to help your loved one, contact us at 844.334.4727.