Psychological Effects

Addiction is frequently intertwined with other mental health issues, but this relationship doesn't always have a clear directionality. For example, people who suffer from mood or anxiety disorders are almost twice as likely to also suffer from a substance use disorder, and people who suffer from substance use disorders are approximately twice as likely to also struggle with a mood or anxiety disorder. It isn't clear which issue is causing the other, but the relationship is strong nonetheless.

 

The psychological distress associated with substance abuse and drug abuse can range from mild to serious. At any level of severity, this distress can have a profoundly negative impact on the life of an addicted individual. Among the most common long-term mental health issues associated with drug abuse and addiction are:

 

Depression. There is a clear association between substance abuse and depression, as well as other mood disorders. This relationship could be attributed to preexisting depression that led to drug abuse or it could be that substance use caused changes in the brain that increased depressive symptoms. Some people use drugs to self-medicate symptoms of depression, but this only alleviates the symptoms while the user is high. It may even make depression symptoms worse when the user is working through withdrawal. Many drugs have a withdrawal syndrome that includes depression or other mood disturbances, which can complicate recovery.

Anxiety. Addiction is also associated with anxiety and panic disorders. Again, the cause is difficult to discern and can be different among individuals. For one person, they could develop a pattern of abuse after using drugs (e.g., benzodiazepines like Xanax) to cope with their symptoms. Another person could have a long-standing pattern of drug abuse and consequently develop anxiety problems. Many substances, particularly stimulants like cocaine, can cause anxiety as a dose-dependent side effects. Other drugs, like benzodiazepines, can bring about increased anxiety as part of their withdrawal syndromes.

Paranoia. Some drugs, like cocaine and marijuana, can cause feelings of paranoia that may amplify with long-term abuse. On top of this, people struggling with addiction may feel that they need to hide or lie about their substance use, indicating a fear of being caught. The fact that many substances of abuse are illegal can also contribute to mounting feelings of paranoia among long-term substance users.