Dual Diagnosis: Mental Illness along with Drug/Alcohol Addiction

What does it mean to have a dual diagnosis?

A person with a Dual Diagnosis has a mental illness as well as an alcohol or drug addiction. These circumstances usually occur together. At some point in their lives, almost half of persons who have a mental disease will also have a substance use disorder, and vice versa. The interplay of the two circumstances has the potential to exacerbate both.

Why do substance use problems and mental illnesses frequently coexist?

Even while these issues frequently occur simultaneously, this does not guarantee that one