Dual Diagnosis

My thesis is people are more likely to develop a mental illness first, rather than people developing a substance abuse problem first. According to the research I have done thus far there seems a pattern that most people are self -medicating in order to escape their personal problems, like depression, anxiety or traumatic experiences (Drug Abuse) .  It has been reported that the majority of people’s onset with a mental disorder precedes the on set of a substance abuse problem (Fast Facts, Par. 5).

            One subtopic to support my thesis is that there is evidence that shows that individuals who are diagnosed with mood disorders are two to four times more likely to develop a substance abuse problem(Drug Abuse).  Also, people with serve mood disorders, such as schizophrenia, are more sensitive to drugs and can be come addicted a lot easier than the average person (Drug Abuse).

            Another subtopic to support my thesis is substance abuse and mental illness often go together hand-in-hand it is difficult to diagnose which of these two problems came first(Fast Facts, Par1)..  However, there is speculation that most individuals with co-occurring disorders tend to self medicate to alleviate stress and anxiety(Fast Facts, Par. 5).   An example of this is people who are depressed are more likely to try drugs because they are looking for something to bring them joy (Drug Abuse).

            More support for my thesis is that social factors may play a part for co-occurring disorders("NAMI", Par. 5). People with mental illness sometimes suffer from what is known as a “downward drift” ("NAMI", Par. 5). Which can be explained as a consequence of their illness they may find themselves living in a trivial neighborhood, where drug use is common and easily accessible ("NAMI", Par. 5). 

            For the record it is extremely difficult to know which of these two disorders developed first, because it is complicated to separate behaviors due to substance abuse and behaviors due to mental illness ("NAMI", Par. 3)