Depression (major depressive disorder or clinical depression) is a common and serious mood disorder that often coexists with drug addiction; sometimes as one of the root causes, while other times as a result of substance abuse. It affects how you think, feel, and handle daily activities. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention an estimated ten percent of U.S. citizens suffer from depression. Regardless, clinical depression must be treated along with substance abuse issues in order to reduce the likelihood of relapse. Chronic depression is very frequently related to the withdrawal from addictive drugs and is experienced more frequently among addicts than most people realize.
There is not just one kind of depression. There are a few different kinds but ultimately they all affect the patient’s life in a negative way. It can have a severe impact on the person’s relationships, emotional and physical well-being, finances, and occupational status. It is not something that the person can just “snap out of,” but with the right treatment they can find help and happiness.
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)
MDD is at least two weeks of a depressed mood with four or more symptoms of depression. According to the National Institute of Mental Health nearly 16 million U.S. adults or about seven percent of the adult population had a least one major depressive episode in 2013.
Persistent Depressive Disorder (dysthymia)
A depressed mood that lasts at least two years. They may have episodes of major depression broken up with periods of less severe symptoms.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
People who are afflicted with this experience depression during the winter months when there is less sunlight. It generally goes away during spring and summer and returns each year with winter. Typically they become more withdrawn, sleep more, and tend to gain weight in the winter months.
Perinatal & Postpartum Depressions (PPD)
Women with perinatal depression experience full blown depression during their pregnancy or after their delivery (postpartum). Postpartum is clinical depression that affects approximately ten to twenty percent of all childbearing women. This can start anywhere between right after birth all the way up to the baby’s first birthday. The feelings of extreme anxiety, sadness, and exhaustion make it difficult for them to take care of themselves or their babies.
Psychotic Depression
Occurs when the patient has severe depression and some form of psychosis, such as hallucinations (hearing or seeing something that isn’t there) or delusions (false fixed beliefs). The hallucinations and delusions tend to have depressing themes.
Depression and Addiction
The terms “depression” or “being depressed” tend to be thrown about lightly and used to describe a person who is upset or feeling down about something in his life. From a clinical standpoint, however, true depression is more than mere feelings of sadness or discontent. It is a mood disorder with specific symptoms that can lead to physical maladies or other more serious mental issues. Often times, those suffering from chemical dependency are also simultaneously suffering from clinical depression.
Depression is not just having the blues. It often seriously impacts a person’s ability to function in their daily life. Many people with depression feel that life is no longer worth living. They may feel hopeless, like there’s “no way out.” Some symptoms of depression include feeling sad, hopeless, worthless, or pessimistic. People with depression often have behavior changes, such as new eating and sleeping patterns.
Depression is a mental health condition that often coexists with substance abuse because many addicts use alcohol and drugs to mask their symptoms. Doctors call this “self-medicating”. When the effect of the drugs wears off, the depression returns and the cycle continues many times leading to addiction. During addiction treatment, untreated depression can interfere with the addiction recovery process and may lead to relapse. Also, an untreated addiction problem often leads to depression in individuals and creates a cycle of relapse.
Treating Depression and Substance Abuse
Treatment centers recognize the dangers of chronic depression and its potential to cause a recurring cycle of drug use and recovery. Most treatment programs include dealing with the addict’s sense of self-worth which is often compromised as they begin to understand the destruction their addiction has caused others. Addiction treatment for someone suffering from depression focuses on the roots of the addiction and its consequences. The process includes a clear understanding of the relationship between addiction, recovery, depression and relapse. Treatment centers establish an effective individual treatment plan for patients suffering from depression by treating both the depression and the addiction.
