When you struggle with your mental health, it makes recovery from addiction much more difficult. It follows that when you care for your mental health, that will support your recovery from different types of addiction. Antidepressants can play an important role in this process, as they can help treat and manage both depression and anxiety. However, you may not know what antidepressant to take or how else to care for your mental health. Fortunately, Buena Vista Recovery can help you to recover from addiction while learning how to heal from the mental health challenges you are facing.
Mental Health and Different Types of Addiction
Struggling with mental health and addiction is common. This is often called a dual diagnosis or co-occurring disorder. There are several reasons why mental health disorders and addiction are commonly found together. First, drugs and alcohol are often used as a method of self-medication for mental health symptoms. Additionally, the physical and mental changes that occur in mental health disorders often impact your risk of addiction and vice versa.
Self-Medication
Managing mental health symptoms is difficult and often uncomfortable. If you are experiencing depression or anxiety, your day-to-day life is likely changed due to your symptoms. This is because mental health disorders impact your sleep, focus, relationships, mood, and overall quality of life.
As a result, it is common to reach for drugs or alcohol as a way to self-medicate. If you are experiencing anxiety symptoms, you may find yourself looking for a way to calm down by using drugs or alcohol. On the other hand, if you are experiencing depression symptoms, drugs may seem like a good short-term solution to help you feel more energetic and engaged with the world.
Physical and Mental Factors
Additionally, mental health and addiction share many common physical and mental factors. The changes that occur in the brain with a mental health disorder can cause you to have a higher risk for addiction. This is often due to the reward centers in the brain being activated by drugs and alcohol. Conversely, substance abuse can also lead to changes in the brain that contribute to mental health disorders.
The Use of Antidepressants in Recovery From Different Types of Addiction
Healing from mental health disorders like depression and anxiety is vital to your success in addiction recovery. This is true regardless of whether you have tried to self-medicate or not. Fortunately, antidepressants are one treatment that can help you heal and manage both depression and anxiety.
Depression
When you have depression, your mood, sleep, and overall quality of life are impacted. Antidepressants help by balancing the chemicals in your brain that impact these parts of your life. There are many different types of antidepressants. However, they all provide relief from these symptoms. For some, antidepressants are taken long-term. Others may only need to take them for a short period before slowly coming off of them.
Anxiety
Antidepressants are also used to improve symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). This is because anxiety is also caused by an imbalance in the brain. Because of how they impact the brain, antidepressants can make a significant difference in any anxiety symptoms you are experiencing. Similar to antidepressants for depression, they can be used in the short-term or long-term to help you manage any symptoms you are experiencing.
Finding the Right Medication for Recovery From Different Types of Addiction
Maintaining stable mental health helps you to recover from addiction. When your mental health has been addressed, you can think clearly, focus, and sleep. You are also more likely to engage with your community. You may find that you have improved relationships and feel better no matter how you are spending your time. Many lifestyle changes can help improve mood and promote a sense of calm. However, finding the right medication can also be an important piece of self-care when it comes to mental health.
If you were to search the internet to discern the type of antidepressant you should take, you would find countless opinions. However, none of these opinions will take your unique needs into consideration. In order to find the right medication to address your mental health, your specific needs will factor in. This is why getting help to find the right medication for you can make such a big difference.
Addiction treatment at Buena Vista Recovery takes your individual needs into consideration. This includes helping you to find solutions for the mental health challenges you’re facing. While many people struggle with mental health and addiction, not all situations are the same. Getting professional help takes the pressure off of these decisions. It is a relief to know you are in good hands. Buena Vista mental health professionals truly care about your success and are highly educated in the best treatment methods and medications that can help you to heal from both mental health disorders and addiction.
Caring for mental health is an integral part of addiction recovery. While there are many lifestyle changes that can alleviate symptoms, antidepressants can also help you with anxiety or depression. Addiction treatment at Buena Vista Recovery offers individualized and patient-focused care. Our inpatient and outpatient programs are both designed to help you deal with withdrawal and detox and create long-term changes in your life. We believe that improving your mental health can help you to stay sober long-term. Using our holistic approach, we can help you find the right medication to manage any mental health disorders you are experiencing. To learn more about our programs or simply to ask any questions you may have, call us at (480) 741-9414.
