Common Co-occurring Issues Faced by Women

WOMEN’S CO-OCCURRING ISSUES

Mental health disorders and substance abuse develop simultaneously for numerous reasons. When addiction and mental health issues conditions occur together, they are known as co-occurring issues. During dual diagnosis treatment, women receive therapy for both substance abuse and mental health disorders. Common mental health disorders in women include:

• Depression
• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Anxiety
• Eating and other behavioral disorders

DEPRESSION

Women with co-occurring issues that include depression and substance use disorders often experience an overwhelming sense of hopelessness.

This can result in the following emotions:

• Extreme sadness
• Worthlessness
• Low energy
• Trouble concentrating

During mental health and addiction treatment, you participate in therapy sessions that address your depression as well as substance use disorders. As with co-occurring issues among women, depression and substance abuse are intricately linked. Women often turn to alcohol or drugs to numb the pain and discomfort of mental health disorders. In turn, abusing drugs and alcohol can lead to mental health disorders.

POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER

Post Traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among women may follow the witnessing or experiencing traumatic events that could include the following:

• Rape
• War
• Abuse
• Violent crime

Women exposed to traumatic events often have deep emotional responses. However, they repress these feelings, making it difficult to pinpoint the people or events causing the disorder. The emotions evoked by the traumatic event can come back in dreams and memories, causing new pain and trauma as women relive horrific experiences. Post-traumatic stress disorder can lead to drug and alcohol abuse when women attempt to self-medicate instead of addressing their trauma.

Trauma therapy and substance abuse treatment can help women recover from traumatic events without resorting to self-destruction behaviors.

ANXIETY DISORDERS

Anxiety disorders come in numerous forms, from phobias to generalized anxiety disorder. Many eating disorders such as bulimia, binge eating, and anorexia also fall under this category. Women are more prone than men to anxiety disorders. As with depression, women often turn to drugs and alcohol to numb the symptoms of anxiety.

Sources of anxiety disorders can be attributed to numerous factors, including the following:

• Brain chemistry
• Family history
• Life events
• Environmental factors

Having a dual-diagnosis can complicate treatment and requires therapists who specialize in co-occurring issues. Drug and alcohol addictions in women often accompany mental health disorders. Among U.S. women with mental health disorders, two out of five struggled with drug abuse, and 75% struggled with alcohol use disorder, according to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. 

Our programs include a 12-step recovery approach to substance abuse that also helps women develop coping skills for social situations and events that trigger anxiety. By facing your emotions and allowing yourself to work through them, you can gradually learn to cope with the intense feeling — without resorting to substance abuse.

WOMEN’S TREATMENT PROGRAM IN OREGON

At Crestview Recovery in Oregon, we tailor recovery programs for each client. We have gender-specific programs that allow you to explore holistic and evidence-based therapy to find the techniques that help you the most. Our highly qualified staff includes medical professionals and licensed therapists who specialize in drug and alcohol use disorders and co-occurring issues. Our residential treatment program reinforces recovery core values at every group and individual session. In our recovery and aftercare programs, you receive rehab tips to help you stay focused on your journey of self-discovery. Contact us at 866.580.4160 to find out more about drug treatment programs.