The Importance of Early Intervention in Addressing Addiction and Mental Health Challenges
Based on statistics by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, almost 30 percent of the US population aged 12 years and older has used an illicit substance. That’s over 61 million people. With timely intervention, it’s possible to prevent occasional substance use from becoming an addiction. This article will look at the link between addiction and mental health, the benefits of early intervention for mental health, barriers to early intervention, and how to overcome them.
The Link Between Addiction and Mental Health
Based on reports by the Journal of the American Medical Association, about half of the people diagnosed with a severe mental disorder struggle with substance abuse as well. Meanwhile, over 53 percent of people with a drug problem have a mental disorder. Statistics like these prove how mental health and addiction are intertwined. While it’s difficult to predict which one comes first, each one is a risk factor for the other.
Impact of Untreated Mental Health Issues on Addiction
The self-medication hypothesis states that drug use stems from an underlying cause. In most cases, illicit substances and alcohol are a means to cope with unpleasant emotions, intrusive thoughts, and stressful environments. Therefore, mood and anxiety disorders such as chronic depression and PTSD are precursors to substance abuse and subsequent addiction.
Impact of Addiction on Mental Health
Long-term substance abuse can permanently alter structures of the brain associated with pleasure and rewards. Moreover, it affects the body’s ability to produce endorphins on its own, depending on pleasurable feelings that occur due to substance use instead. Such changes make you more vulnerable to depressive feelings and unpleasant thoughts when the effect of alcohol or drugs wears off.
Early Intervention for Addiction and Mental Health Challenges
When you’re displaying the early signs of substance use or mental health disorder, early intervention involves providing professional support before symptoms exacerbate. Specifically, providing early treatment for addiction prevents the risk of developing a mental health disorder and vice versa.
Benefits of Early Intervention in Addiction and Mental Health
Giving individuals early treatment for their mental health or addiction symptoms can help prevent the issue from getting worse while building resiliency. Benefits of early intervention include:
- Reduced negative impact on academic and vocational development
- Lower risk of hospitalization
- Lower risk of suicide
- Less dramatic effect on relationships
- Quicker recovery with a low risk of relapse
- Reduced negative impact on heart, brain, and liver
Other benefits include fewer arrests, emergency room visits, and a lower risk of overdosing.
Different Types of Early Interventions
There’s no one way to provide early interventions. These can be informal, such as with family members or loved ones, or formal. Formal interventions are held by professionals who speak to you about the benefits of getting professional treatment.
Start With Communication
Every attempt at an early intervention should start with an open and honest conversation with a loved one. Knowing that the person speaking to you is only looking out for your best interests is crucial for understanding that you have a problem.
Screening in Healthcare Settings
Primary healthcare settings are a common way to provide early interventions. Medical professionals can identify different signs that indicate you or a loved one has a substance use or mental health concern. Or physician or practitioner will then speak to you about the issue to help you understand how disruptive mental health or substance abuse symptoms can be.
Brief Interventions to Provide Feedback
After undergoing a screening by a healthcare practitioner, you can attend a brief intervention. This can fall anywhere between informal counseling and structured therapies. In this type of early intervention, you receive feedback about your drug use habits and/or mental health symptoms. Getting insight into your habits will help you make informed decisions about getting treatment.
Social Support
Various studies indicate that a lack of social support can exacerbate symptoms of poor mental health. Therefore, surrounding yourself with people who you can talk to can do wonders for your mental health.
Mindfulness
Research indicates that mindfulness can help alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety in people suffering from mood and anxiety disorders. It has also been a part of programs at many luxury addiction treatment centers to help you relax.
Barriers to Early Intervention
But despite the availability of various early intervention methods, there are certain barriers that prevent people from seeking the help they need. Some of the most common reasons why people delay seeking help or fail to get appropriate assistance include:
- Denying that you have a problem
- Systematic issues like long wait times
- Lack of knowledge about available treatment options
- The perceived burden of committing time to treatment
- Having doubts about the effectiveness of treatment
At the same time, some barriers are more common and typically include the social stigma surrounding mental health and addiction. It also includes the lack of access to treatment options, resources, and support.
Stigma Surrounding Addiction and Mental Health
Even though substance use disorders are prevalent among many people all over the world, estimates show that the rate of treatment is lower than one in six people. One of the most common reasons for this is stigma, which can include prejudicial beliefs and subsequent discrimination.
Limited Access to Resources and Treatment Options
Another reason why people may delay seeking treatment is that they lack access to appropriate services. In most cases, it meant that they didn’t have the resources or coverage to seek treatment despite trying to get it.
Strategies for Overcoming Barriers to Early Intervention
Although there are certain barriers that keep people from seeking early interventions, there are strategies to overcome them. These can include:
Having an Honest Communication About Addiction and Mental Health
It’s common for people to delay seeking treatment because they worry about what others will think. In this case, having an honest discussion about your addiction or mental health concerns with loved ones will help you gain the necessary strength and support to start treatment.
Providing Education and Resources to Reduce Stigma
Whether you battle with self-stigma or live in a community that discriminates against people with mental health and substance use disorders, raising awareness is quite effective. Awareness campaigns provide communities with the information to be more compassionate and empathetic.
Encouraging Regular Mental Health Checkups
Certain behavioral and psychological symptoms can be a predictor of mental health and substance use disorders. Taking regular mental health checkups and encouraging your loved ones to do so will help detect susceptibility to developing more severe concerns.
Conclusion
Despite how difficult it may be to accept that you or your loved one has a problem, remember that early intervention is the best way towards a quicker recovery. Mental health disorders and addiction have high rates of comorbidity, but early intervention can help prevent further problems. There are plenty of early intervention strategies, as well as ways to overcome the barriers preventing people from seeking help. If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction or a mental health disorder, seeking professional help can make a world of difference. With the right guidance and support, recovery and improved well-being are possible.
Photo by New Africa via Deposit Photos
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I'm Alice and I live with a dizzying assortment of invisible disabilities, including ADHD and fibromyalgia. I write to raise awareness and end the stigma surrounding mental and chronic illnesses of all kinds.
