People who abuse alcohol or drugs may often face certain mental disorders like depression or anxiety. This may worsen their daily lives.

If the mental disorder issues are not treated, then they can further worsen. This interplay complicates addiction treatment and can worsen both conditions.

As per the published reports in the American Journal of the Medical Association, the following are the data available:

• Substance addiction affects about 50% of people with serious mental illnesses.
• At least one major mental disease is also present in 37% of alcohol abusers and 53% of drug abusers.
• Of those with a diagnosis of mental illness, 29% abuse drugs or alcohol.

Which of these two is a more serious issue?

As such, it is possible to conclude that any one of these two may be the reason for the other. However, these two are interrelated to a large extent.

Those who consume alcohol too much can often develop a symptom of anxiety and depression. Similarly, those who abuse drugs like marijuana or methamphetamine may often display a symptom of protracted psychotic episodes.

Often, it has been seen that people use both drugs and alcohol to treat their mental health problems. As a result, this may lead to a condition of abusing drugs and alcohol. People with addiction tend to think that taking these can change their mood, at least for some time.

However, the reality is that if people start using drugs or alcohol as self-medication, then it can produce several side effects, which can worsen the condition even more.

Abuse of drugs and alcohol can raise the underlying risk of mental illnesses. It is challenging to determine whether substance abuse ever causes mental health issues directly because these issues are the result of a complicated interaction between heredity, environment, and other variables.

However, it is important to understand that if someone consumes alcohol or drugs regularly, then it can bring him to a situation where mental health issues are bound to come.

As an example, severe consumption of cannabis may lead to a greater risk for schizophrenia. There is enough evidence available that if someone uses opiate medicines very frequently may end up with depression.

Alcohol and drug abuse can always exacerbate mental health problems. Frequent substance abuse has enough potential to create new or even worsen the present conditions of mental issues even further. Besides that, drug and alcohol abuse can also delay the rehabilitation process.