Depression and Addiction: Do the Two Go Hand in Hand?

Everyone has a bad day now and then, but having depression is much worse. Problems at work, difficulties at home, or challenges in relationships can lead to feeling down and struggling to feel good about yourself, but again, these periods of time are generally short-lived. When you have clinical depression, your condition is much worse than when you just have a bad day now and then. Clinical depression is a serious mental condition that has devastating consequences for those who suffer from it.

As you might suspect, addiction is actually quite typical among those who have clinical depression.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 10% of all people in the United States currently suffer from depression. They also indicate that certain groups of people are at a much higher risk of becoming clinically depressed than others. These groups of people include: 

• Women
• Adults who are between the ages of 45 and 64
• People who are not able to work
• People who have been unemployed for a period of time
• People who do not have health insurance
• African Americans and Hispanics 

As you might suspect, addiction is actually quite typical among those who have clinical depression. For those who have depression, using drugs or alcohol can create a dangerous cycle that they participate in as a way to numb their pain. 

Perhaps you have questions about depression and how it relates to addiction because you have a diagnosis of depression and you currently use drugs or alcohol. You might not have thought about the fact that the two conditions could be linked to each other, and you probably didn’t realize that they could be treated at the same time through dual diagnosis treatment. It is possible to get help for both depression and addiction because of the way they are linked. However, it can also be helpful for you to learn as much as you can about depression so that you can understand the way you feel, and why you feel compelled to reach for drugs or alcohol as a way to cope.

What is Depression?

It’s important to understand the difference between sadness and depression. Sometimes people will use the two terms interchangeably, but they are very different. Most people have experienced sadness or grief that lasted for a period of time, but their feelings always got better. There are even those who have suffered from having a temporary case of what they might refer to as the blues, but again, their conditions got better. Clinical depression is a condition that is indicated by the DSM V as lasing for at least two weeks. It interferes with your ability to work, causes problems in your social life, and makes it hard for you to maintain strong and healthy relationships. When someone is depressed, they will experience a sense of hopelessness. They will feel sad, but that sadness is magnified. Low energy is also another common complaint among those who have depression.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, there are several different forms of depression. These include:

• Persistent depressive disorder – This type of depression lasts for at least two years. Someone who is diagnosed with this type of depression may have bouts of major depression and then times when symptoms seem to get a bit better.
• Perinatal depression – This type of depression is often referred to as the “baby blues,” but it’s actually much worse. Perinatal depression is diagnosed after the birth of a child when a new mother finds it impossible to care for herself or her baby because of her sadness, anxiety and exhaustion.
• Psychotic depression – This form of depression is always accompanied by some type of psychosis. For example, an individual may have delusions or hallucinations, and the symptoms always have some type of depressive theme, such as illness or guilt.
• Seasonal affective disorder – This type of depression returns every year, along with the colder, darker winter months. It is accompanied by social withdrawal and an increase in sleep, along with some other symptoms.
• Bipolar disorder – This condition is different from depression, but it includes a major depressive state that meets the criteria for a form of depression.

What are the Effects of Depression on the Mind and Body?

When people think about depression, they most often think about the effect it has on moods. While it’s true that depression does heavily influence moods, its reach extends much farther than that. Depression can actually lead to physical discomfort in the body, and this can manifest in a number of different ways. Some of these ways include:

• Experiencing an increase in aches and pains in the body
• Experiencing chronic fatigue
• Having a decreased interest in sex
• A significantly decreased appetite
• Having trouble sleeping at night
• Not experiencing deep sleep
• Instances of oversleeping

It has also been shown that being depressed increases your risk for developing various illnesses and diseases. It affects the immune system, which can make it very difficult for your body to fight infection. Depression has been linked to heart disease as well.

There are so many people in the United States who live their lives with undiagnosed depression. For these individuals, when they come down with sicknesses, they often fail to disclose their depression symptoms to the doctor. This only perpetuates a vicious cycle of continuing to get sick and then never being truly able to heal.

What are Some Signs of Depression?

It’s possible that you believe you might be depressed, but you’re not really sure if it’s depression, or if you’re just experiencing some sadness or grief at the moment. There are a lot of people who live their lives with undiagnosed depression, and if this is the case for you, it can be helpful to learn more about what some of the signs of depression are. That way, you can have a better understanding of your own situation.

Some warning signs of depression include:

• Feeling hopeless or pessimistic about your future
• Feelings of restlessness
• Problems with sleeping at night, waking up early or sleeping too much
• Changes in your appetite or weight
• A persistent feeling of sadness or anxiety
• Feeling worthless or helpless
• Lack of interest in hobbies or activities you once enjoyed
• Contemplating suicide
• Problems with concentration or memory
• Difficulty with making decisions
• A significant decrease in your energy 

According to the DSM V, these symptoms need to have been persisting for at least two weeks in order to be considered symptoms of depression. However, if you notice several of these present in your own life, it’s very possible that you do have depression. Getting a diagnosis right away is very important so that you can get the help you need.

How are Depression and Addiction Linked to One Another?

It’s really not surprising that substance abuse and depression are so closely related to each other. People who have a depressive disorder will frequently reach for drugs or alcohol as a way to cope with the pain they feel. This may be emotional pain or physical pain. Using substances is a way for them to improve how they feel or get rid of painful thoughts, even if it’s just for a short time. Of course, the effects of drugs and alcohol don’t last for long, which causes people to go right back to using them again right away. Because of this, both depression and addiction feed into each other. Continued substance abuse always makes depression symptoms worse.

Choosing Northpoint Recovery for Co-Occurring Disorder Treatment

Whether you’ve suffered with depression for most of your adult life, or your diagnosis of depression is still relatively new to you, if you’re using drugs or alcohol to self-medicate in an attempt to help yourself feel better, you’re heading down a very dangerous road. Self-medicating with drugs or alcohol is never the answer when you suffer from depression. However, so many people make the decision to do so. Quite often, they don’t realize the type of help that is available to them, and dual diagnosis treatment can change your outlook on life.

Here at Northpoint Recovery, we offer dual diagnosis treatment as a way to provide help to those who suffer from depression and addiction. We believe that one should never be treated without treating the other at the same time. Yet, there are so many different facilities and clinics that believe just the opposite. In our experience, we’ve had great success with helping people overcome their addictions by treating their depression symptoms too, and we’d like to do the same thing for you.

If you would like to get more information about how we can help you with dual diagnosis treatment here at Northpoint Recovery, we would love to talk with you. Please contact us today to learn more.