Mental health and Substance Abuse: Psychiatric House Calls
/Many people who abuse drugs or alcohol have at least one type of mental illness, which is why treatment for the underlying mental illness is so important. Almost a third of people who are diagnosed with a mental illness also have substance abuse problems.
Dealing with a mental health problem is not easy, especially when the patient also has a substance abuse problem with drugs or alcohol. These issues can become a vicious cycle, each factor making the other factors worse and worse unless the person seeks medical help to control both their addiction and their psychological issues. If the mental health issue is not treated, and the person self-medicates with alcohol or drugs, the cycle is likely to continue until something tragic happens.
But there is help. Let’s talk about how to handle any psychological or addiction issues right here in New York City – which you can receive by an experienced nurse practitioner who makes house calls.
How Mental Health and Substance Abuse Can Be Related
If you feel like your life is out of control and you may have an addiction disorder, your medical provider will ask you a number of questions to get to the root of the issue. These questions may include:
Do you use drugs or alcohol as a way to cope with unpleasant feelings, memories, or external stimuli?
Have you ever noticed or felt a correlation between your substance abuse and your mental health, or how you feel psychologically?
Do you tend to feel worse the next day emotionally and mentally because of something you did to escape the pain?
Do you feel signs of depression or anxiety when you’re sober?
Is there a history of abuse or unresolved trauma that needs to be worked through?
Treating Substance Abuse Before It Affects Your Mental Health
A person can begin to develop a mental health issue as a result of substance addiction, whether to alcohol, illegal drugs, or even prescription drugs such as opioids. The person may not even realize it is happening until things in their life begin to unravel, such as a job or a relationship.If this is happening to you, you may think that the only solution is to go to a detox center or rehab center – and you may not want to do that.
The good news is that you can detox right at home from whatever addiction you have developed, and get your mental health back to normal. A nurse practitioner can provide a medically supervised detoxification program just for you, right here in New York City, so you never have to go anywhere. This home-based detox program usually involves both prescription medication and psychotherapy sessions with the nurse practitioner in the comfort of your own home.
