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Jan 15
2019

Someone with substance abuse disorder (drugs or alcohol) and mental illness (depression, PTSD, anxiety, OCD, etc.), the diagnosis is called a co-occurring disorder. Any combination of mental health disorders and substance abuse or addiction qualifies for this diagnosis (sometimes referred to as a dual diagnosis), such as alcoholism and depression, anorexia and cocaine dependence, post-traumatic stress disorder and heroin addiction, prescription drug dependence and anxiety, and more.

Though the symptoms of one disorder may predate the other, both disorders tend to exacerbate one another, making it impossible to extricate the symptoms caused by one disorder from the other.

Here are some helpful resources:
Help Guide – Substance Abuse and Mental Health Issues

Mental Health America – Alcohol, Substance Abuse and Depression