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Anxiety and Addiction Dual Diagnosis

It is well established that anxiety and substance abuse often co-occur. The fear of losing control, among other psychological and environmental factors, can compel individuals to alleviate those fears by self-medicating with substances such as drugs, prescription painkillers, or alcohol. This self-medication behavior can contribute to the development of co-occurring disorders, where both an anxiety disorder and a substance use disorder are present.

A successful treatment for this condition includes appropriately integrated medical interventions to treat both the anxiety disorder and the substance use disorder. This supports lasting, holistic recovery.

Last Medical Reviewer On: March 31, 2024
Updated On: Dec 21, 2023
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Written by:

Amanda Stevens, B.S.

Medical Review by:

Dr. Po Chang Hsu MD, MS

Anxiety and Addiction Dual Diagnosis: Epiphany Wellness Centers
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    What you will learn
    • Anxiety and addiction frequently co-occur, with individuals often using substances like drugs or alcohol to self-medicate, leading to dual diagnosis or co-occurring disorders.
    • Anxiety disorders are characterized by uncontrollable fear and include various forms, such as generalized anxiety disorder, panic attacks, and social anxiety disorder, with both cognitive and physiological symptoms.
    • Dual diagnosis treatment for anxiety and substance use disorders involves unique interventions for each condition, including therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy and ACT therapy, across various levels of care like detox and outpatient programs.
    • The cost of dual diagnosis treatment for co-occurring anxiety and substance use disorders varies widely based on individualized treatment plans, which are influenced by the specific needs and history of the patient, the intensity of the treatment required, the length of stay, and the types of therapies and services utilized. Additionally, costs can be affected by the treatment setting (inpatient vs. outpatient), geographic location, and whether the facility accepts insurance.

    What is Anxiety Disorder?

    An anxiety disorder is more than just the occasional fears and worries that we all have. Some fear is normal; it helps keep us alive. Anxiety disorder is a generalized, future-oriented mood state where the sufferer experiences fear in the present when imagining a future event.[1]

    “Fear is an automatic neurophysiological state of alarm characterized by a fight/flight/freeze response to a cognitive appraisal of danger (real or perceived).”[2] This danger could be immediately present or imminent (regardless of how the sufferer defines “imminent”).

    Those experiencing anxiety are experiencing uncontrollable fear. Several different kinds of anxiety disorders include[3]:

    • Generalized anxiety disorder
    • Panic attacks
    • Social anxiety disorder
    • Phobia-specific disorders
    • Selective mutism
    • Separation anxiety disorder
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    Common Symptoms of Anxiety Disorder

    There are cognitive and physiological symptoms of anxiety disorder.[4] Some cognitive symptoms include:

    • Fear of losing control
    • Fear of pain, injury, or death
    • Fear of “going crazy”
    • Fear of negative evaluation by others
    • Scary thoughts
    • Feeling “unreal” or detached from your own body
    • Lack of focus
    • Worried about non-specific threats
    • Poor memory
    • Speech disruption

    Some physiological symptoms include:

    • Heightened heart rate
    • Inconsistent breathing (e.g., hiccups)
    • Pain or pressure in the chest region
    • Constricting throat
    • Dizziness
    • Sweaty, hot flashes, or chills
    • Nausea, upset stomach, or diarrhea
    • Trembling in the arms and legs
    • Numbness or tingling in some or all extremities
    • Weakness like you are about to faint
    • Tense muscles
    • Dry mouth

    Anxiety Disorder Statistics

    Anxiety disorder is one of the most common psychiatric disorders in the general population. It’s difficult to know for sure how many people suffer because many people who suffer never seek treatment or think their experience with fear is “normal.” This mental health condition can be lifelong or acquired.[5]

    • 31.1% of U.S. adults have reported experiencing any anxiety disorder at some point in their lives.
    • 19.1% of U.S. adults have reported experiencing any anxiety disorder at some point in the last 12 months.

    Women are almost 2 times more likely to report anxiety disorder than men. The split among anxiety disorder sufferers experiencing mild, moderate, or severe impairment is almost equal.[6]

    Anxiety and Addiction

    Unfortunately, substance addiction and anxiety disorders often occur simultaneously. Anxiety disorder symptoms can compel substance use to alleviate the severity or frequency. This pattern of substance abuse can evolve into dependence or addiction.

    Anxiety feeds into our psychological desire to control a situation from a distance. Even if it’s out of our control, our brain can feel better knowing it “overthought” it. Over time, your brain can even become accustomed to or dependent on overthinking situations, similar to an addiction.[7] This can be a troubling situation when you crave anxiety experiences or uncontrollable fear.

    Substance Abuse and Anxiety

    Substance abuse is common when the anxiety sufferer attempts to self-medicate to alleviate their symptoms. Alcohol is a commonly abused substance for anxiety sufferers because alcohol depresses your central nervous system. It slows down your racing thoughts.[8]

    Alcohol also stimulates your brain to produce dopamine, a feel-good hormone. When addiction and anxiety go hand-in-hand, the risk potential increases for adverse cardiac events (think heart attacks). The physiological symptoms of anxiety include palpitations and increased heart rate, which can cause damage to the heart over time.

    Dual Diagnosis: Anxiety and Substance Use Disorder

    One helpful treatment for co-occurring disorders like anxiety and substance abuse is a dedicated dual diagnosis program. This level of treatment identifies each disorder and then applies unique interventions for each.

    Co-occurring disorders tend to intensify the effects of the other, leading to a vicious cycle that is hard to overcome. Dual diagnosis treatment will address each disorder as a separate diagnosis to build stronger coping skills and secure new habits.

    Dual-diagnosis treatments for anxiety and substance use disorder may include:

    Also, levels of care in which treatment for co-occurring substance use disorder and anxiety occurs may include:

    If you need more information our top-quality inpatient mental health facilities located in Nashville, Tennessee, provide the tools you need to manage anxiety disorders.

    Cost of Dual Diagnosis Treatment for Anxiety Disorder

    The cost of dual diagnosis treatment for anxiety disorder depends on many factors. Your needs, history, and desired lifestyle during treatment greatly affect the cost.

    The more intense care you need, the more expensive it could be. The length of stay, the intensity of care, and the different kinds of interventions needed will all play a part in determining the cost.

    Frequently Asked Questions about Anxiety Disorder

    What anxiety medication is best for me?
    Will anxiety ever go away?
    Why anxiety at night?
    Are anxiety disorders genetic?
    Are anxiety and panic attacks the same?
    Sources

    [1][2][4][8] Anxiety – statpearls – NCBI bookshelf. (n.d.). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470361/

    [3] U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Anxiety disorders. National Institute of Mental Health. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders

    [5][6] U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.-b). Any anxiety disorder. National Institute of Mental Health. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/any-anxiety-disorder

    [7] Marceau, K., & Abel, E. A. (2018, September). Mechanisms of cortisol – substance use development associations: Hypothesis generation through gene enrichment analysis. Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6310615/

    [9] Gottschalk, M. G., & Domschke, K. (2017, June). Genetics of generalized anxiety disorder and related traits. Dialogues in clinical neuroscience. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5573560/