Which Came First Mental Health or Addiction?

Mental Health and Addiction

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)’s2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), an estimated 43.6 million (18.1%) Americans ages 18 and up experienced some form of mental illness. In 2016, 20.2 million adults (8.4%) had a substance use disorder. Of these, 7.9 million people had both a mental disorder and substance use disorder.

Between 2016 and 2017, the rates of adults experiencing substance use disorder and mental illness were highest among adults aged 26 to 49. For adults with past-year serious mental illness and co-occurring substance use disorders, rates were highest among those ages 18 to 25 (35.3%) in 2014.

Traumatic life experiences are considered to be one of the major public health problems in the U.S. One in four children and adolescents experience at least one traumatic event by the age of 16, and more than 13 percent of 17-year-olds have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Many of those teens have used alcohol and drugs to numb the memories of this experience. Research has shown that childhood traumas — or Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) — affect the development of the brain in such a way that it can render the person susceptible to mental illnesses and substance use disorder.

Many of us hold our breath not knowing what we’ll encounter, and often hold ?our breath, fearing something really bad is going to happen.

My Trauma Story

When I was in treatment, it was clear who in my treatment group had suffered trauma. But that didn’t make sense for my story and I didn’t see the connection between addiction and trauma. I had a normal upbringing: my dad worked two jobs to provide for us and I was never physically or mentally abused. So I left home believing that I hadn’t suffered any trauma.

Digging a little deeper in the recovery work I’ve undertaken, I recalled going to preschool at four years old and feeling terrified of leaving home and being around other kids who would torment me. I was frightened of being seen, so I learned very quickly how to hide and become invisible. I couldn’t wait to return home. What I experienced was a form of trauma, over a prolonged period of time — trauma that was equally as upsetting as a major trauma like a sexual assault, a car accident, or being in combat.

This trauma is so terrifying that we fear returning to the same situation — whether that is preschool or a war zone. Many of us hold our breath not knowing what we’ll encounter, and often hold our breath, fearing something really bad is going to happen. I carried that experience from 4 to 14 years old when I started using drugs and alcohol. I developed survival skills and I artificially sought connection to others through substances.

Given my history, it was crucial that my recovery included several weeks of trauma work, both as part of my 11-week inpatient treatment and in later recovery, because going off drugs and alcohol did not solve the root cause of the addiction. For me, the problem was my 4-year-old self who didn’t know how to deal with emotions. While for many Alcoholics Anonymous is a great pathway of recovery, it doesn’t give you the tools to take care of the the emotions and pain from trauma. You have to do the trauma work.

This is what breaks my heart: no one grows up and says, “Oh my god, I want to be homeless and I want to be addicted to heroin and I just can't wait to have no friends and no family and live in that tent on the sidewalk.”

It Gets a Million Times Better Once We Unravel the Trauma 

This is what breaks my heart: no one grows up and says, “Oh my god, I want to be homeless and I want to be addicted to heroin and I just can't wait to have no friends and no family and live in that tent on the sidewalk.” Nobody has that dream as a little kid, but that's where we see thousands of people ending up. The reason is is for a lot of them is the occurrence of mental illness and not dealing with that trauma and the pain that they experienced as kids.

Drugs and alcohol allows us to self-medicate and numb our trauma. But instead of people seeing trauma as the root cause of the problem, they instead focus on the symptoms: using drugs and alcohol. So when people are in treatment for substance use disorder they experience the full discomfort of painful and raw emotions. Often what happens is that they return to drugs because it is too painful. As part of a treatment plan for addiction, we need to get that trauma in the early stages of recovery to unravel it, and ultimately help you to like yourself.

We know that trauma, or living with a parent who has substance use disorder, can be associated with mental health conditions in later life. The child may use drugs and alcohol as part of their survival skills, or even develop a mental illness. It is only when they are in recovery that we can determine with a medical professional if they need medication for mental illness, as well as help to heal their trauma, and help them recover from addiction

This week we had several questions from people who take antidepressants or use pharmacotherapy (like Suboxone), asking whether it’s possible to stop these medications. My answer is always to work with a doctor and a therapist to determine what is right for you.

Online support from people who have shared a similar experience can be vital and it is important to remember that many factors go into how to address your specific issues and how to manage that in an ongoing manner. What works for someone may not work for you. Please be sure to include qualified professionals in your decision making and as part of your care team.

We believe that your care team should be invested in your goals, and they should help to create a solution based on your individual needs. Your team should help you develop the tools to cope with your emotions and recover from your trauma. Lastly, it is crucial that no one should try to tackle coming off medication alone.

?In the end, it does not matter which comes first or which is the root cause, we need to work on all issues concurrently to help bring about the best chance for recovery!

There Is Hope, Recovery Is Available to All of Us

Over the next week, we’d like you to think about any questions or solutions that can help those suffering for our next Facebook Live session on Sunday, October28th at 6pm PST/9pm EST. For those unable to tune in, don’t worry, we’ll send out another recap.

We are all on a mission to help people suffering with addiction and to help their families. We need to come together as a community, working with the family system, to help people find long-term solutions to recovery and achieve their goals.

If you know someone who can benefit from our full continuum of care, click here or call (877) 800-6911.