Mental health issues linked to addiction

There’s a whole host of different mental health disorders that you can suffer from that can be caused by or lead to addiction. Some of the most common ones are:

Depression

Depression (major depressive disorder) is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act. Depression causes feelings of sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed, and can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems.

Anxiety

Anxiety is a feeling of unease, worry or fear. We all feel anxious at times, but anxiety may be a mental health problem if your feelings are very strong or last a long time. More than one in 20 of us have an anxiety disorder.

Bipolar disorder

Bipolar disorder is a mental health condition marked by extreme shifts in mood. Key symptoms include episodes of mania, or an extremely elevated mood and episodes of depression, or a low mood.

Eating disorders

Eating disorders are behavioral conditions characterised by severe and persistent disturbance in eating behaviors and associated distressing thoughts and emotions. They can be very serious conditions affecting physical, psychological and social function. The 3 main types of eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder.

Personality disorders

A personality disorder is a type of mental disorder in which you have a rigid and unhealthy pattern of thinking, functioning and behaving.A person with a personality disorder has trouble perceiving and relating to situations and people. This causes significant problems and limitations in relationships, social activities, work and school.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common mental disorders affecting children. ADHD also affects many adults. Symptoms of ADHD include inattention (not being able to keep focus), hyperactivity (excess movement that is not fitting to the setting) and impulsivity (hasty acts that occur in the moment without thought).

Attention deficit disorder (ADD)

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is a term used for people who have excessive difficulties with concentration without the presence of other ADHD symptoms such as excessive impulsiveness or hyperactivity.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that may occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event such as a natural disaster, a serious accident, a terrorist act, war/combat, or sexual violence, for example.

Psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia

Psychotic disorders are a group of serious illnesses that affect the mind. They make it hard for someone to think clearly, make good judgments, respond emotionally, communicate effectively, understand reality, and behave appropriately.

Individuals who suffer with these disorders can often self-medicate with different substances and develop a harmful addiction which only makes the matter worse.

It’s important that if you or someone you know suffers with these or any other mental health issues and has developed an addiction that they get help immediately.

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