Depression and addiction are both difficult mental health conditions to battle, especially if you are facing them together. Having one can increase your likelihood to get the other and vice versa. Co-occurring mental health disorders can decrease your quality of life.
Spero Recovery can help treat your addiction and find the help you need for your other mental health conditions, including depression. We will work with you to find a therapist that you are comfortable with and that meets your needs. This includes working with you to communicate with them online, offsite, and in person if needed.
What Is Depression?
Have you experienced extreme feelings of sadness, loneliness, or numbness? Do these feelings affect your ability to function throughout the day? Do they make it hard to get moving, go to work, eat, sleep, or enjoy activities you once loved? If so, then, you may be struggling with depression.
There are multiple types of depression, all of which can affect anyone. Depression can lead to other mental health conditions such as addiction, especially if left untreated. Women are more likely to be diagnosed with depression because they are likelier than men to recognize and admit when they need help with how they are feeling.
Signs and Symptoms
Common signs and symptoms of depression include:
- Feeling sad, anxious, or numb continuously for at least two weeks.
- Loss of interest in things you once enjoyed.
- Struggling to complete daily tasks and responsibilities.
- Changes in sleep.
- Appetite and weight changes.
- Body pain without a physical cause that doesn’t lessen with treatment.
- Substance dependence.
- Addiction.
- Suicidal ideation.
Treatment
When caught early, depression can be treated with a combination of medication and psychotherapy.
Medications such as antidepressants work to change brain chemistry that affects your mood. There can be a lot of trial and error to find the right medication, dose, or combination of medications to treat your depression. They can take around a month to start having an effect, so it is important to give them a chance.
Psychotherapies can include cognitive-behavioral therapy and interpersonal therapy. These talk therapies are used to evaluate your negative and false thoughts and beliefs. Then the therapist will work with you to show you how these thoughts are false and work to replace them with the truth.
What Is Addiction?
Addiction is a compulsive and uncontrollable urge to use alcohol, nicotine, marijuana, or other illicit substances. You may start to use these substances to cope with stress in your life or due to other mental health conditions such as depression. It could also start because of peer pressure from friends or curiosity or because you think it will improve your abilities.
Using a substance once does not always lead to addiction. It is with repeated use, the build-up of tolerance, and the experience of withdrawal symptoms that addiction is developed. Women are quicker to become addicted than men are.
There are a lot of negative effects that come along with addiction. These effects can include isolation, financial problems, and the formation of other mental health conditions such as depression. You can also experience negative physical effects like cardiac and lung difficulties.
Signs and Symptoms
You may be experiencing addiction if you are:
- Needing to take the drug more often or a higher dose to obtain the same feelings.
- Only able to think about obtaining, taking, or dealing with the effects of the substance.
- Quitting other enjoyable hobbies and activities to spend more time taking the drug.
- Resorting to putting yourself in debt or committing illegal actions to be able to continue using the substance.
- Unable to stop using the drug.
Treatment
Psychotherapy is a big part of treating addiction. This can be done in an individual, group, or family setting. It helps you come to terms with your addiction and work to change it. This type of treatment can help you forgive yourself and move past your substance use to be able to reach long-term sobriety.
Treatment can be done inpatient or outpatient depending on the severity of your addiction. Inpatient facilities can be more expensive because of the round-the-clock care, and the more in-depth treatment you are given. Outpatient facilities are cheaper but can make it harder for you to stick to their regimen because you are returning to an unhealthy environment.
Correlation Between Depression and Addiction
The correlation between depression and addiction is seen within each mental health condition. Depression can lead to self-medication through substance use, and the build-up of tolerance can cause addiction. Addiction can cause feelings of anxiety and loneliness which can lead to depression.
How Spero Recovery Can Help Treat Your Depression and Addiction
Spero Recovery is an inpatient addiction treatment center. We can provide you with affordable and effective treatment through the use of grants and donations, which keep our costs below the national average. This also makes us the perfect place for under and uninsured individuals to get the help they need.
Though we primarily treat addiction, we can set you up with therapists to help you with your co-occurring mental health conditions. This can be through online communication or off-site visits. Our ability to meet your needs pertaining to your depression and addiction makes us the perfect match for the start of your recovery journey.
Struggling with depression and addiction can be difficult when doing one or the other; having to fight both can feel impossible. A correlation can be seen between depression, the use of drugs, and vice versa. This correlation can lead to a never-ending cycle of depressive symptoms and drug use, which in turn can lead to addiction. Having both conditions occurring at the same time can actually heighten the symptoms of one another. You are not alone. If you feel like you are struggling with depression while trying to be successful in your recovery journey, reach out to Spero Recovery at (303) 351-7888 for more information today. We want to help you be successful and improve your quality of life.
