Mentally ill people have a higher probability of abusing substances in order to self-medicate. And prolonged drug use can lead to many mental illnesses. The consequences of long-term problems relating to both can be grave even leading to death in extreme cases.

According to the experts, not much is known about the reason behind the increasing comorbidity of substance abuse and psychiatric disorders. Past research has indicated the impact of environmental factors like stress and depression, coupled with socio-economic conditions, on dual diagnosis. Now, a recent study has indicated that genetic traits also help evaluate the extent of susceptibility to drug abuse and mental health problems.

The study titled “Associations between Polygenic Risk for Psychiatric Disorders and Substance Involvement,” tried to examine if possibility of mental health problems due to genetic disorders could be the deciding factor regarding a person’s proclivity to use drugs. The study, published online in the journal Frontiers in Genetics in August 2016, is based on the premise that people suffering from some kind of mental health disorder are at a greater risk of suffering from substance use disorder.

Link between mental illnesses and substance abuse problems revealed

For research purposes, details obtained from 2,573 respondents from the Study of Addiction: Genetics and Environment were studied. The researchers then analyzed the extent of the participants’ use of drugs, their tendency to misuse and their addiction to drugs. Stressing on the findings, senior author of the study Ryan Bogdan, director of the BRAINLab, said, “This also allowed us to evaluate specific psychiatric disorder-substance relationships. For example, we found that genetic risk for both schizophrenia and depression are associated with cannabis and cocaine involvement.”

The scientists also observed an overall genetic association between mental health and drug use, thus, revealing links between certain mental disorders and addictive substances. The importance of the study lies in the fact that the details have opened the doors to further research to assess how genetic risks can help predict tendencies to abuse substances.

While the impact of genes on specific mental disorders or inclination to try particular drugs has been understood, the researchers need to include the effect of environmental factors in the study. A detailed assessment would also help in better understanding the interplay between environmental factors and genetic influences and how they help aggravate the risk of co-occurring of psychiatric disorders and the tendencies to abuse drugs.

Need to seek timely help

Drug abuse has a tremendous economic impact as expenses due to lost productivity and costs of treatment are calculated to be nearly $700 billion every year. Not many people have access to the available mental health treatment facilities, while many others shirk from seeking the necessary treatment due to existing prejudice against mental illnesses.

A 2015 report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) revealed that nearly 8.9 million American adults are afflicted with co-occurring disorders. Of this, only 7.4 percent receive treatment for both the conditions, while 55.8 percent do not seek treatment at all.

It is important to choose a good rehabilitation center that is equipped with various innovative and evidence-based treatment options and can help the patient recover from the debilitating conditions. If you or your loved one is struggling to get rid of co-occurring disorders, contact the California Dual Diagnosis Helpline to know about the best dual diagnosis rehab in California. Call us at our 24/7 helpline number 855-980-1736 or chat online with our experts to avail the services of the best dual diagnosis treatment centers in California.