CO-OCCURRING DISORDERS

CO-OCCURRING DISORDERS

Co-occurring disorders, formerly referred to as dual diagnosis, are the presence of at least one mental health disorder and at least one substance use disorder that occurs at the same time. Often, an individual will enter treatment for a substance use disorder and will later be diagnosed with an underlying mental health disorder, such as depression or anxiety.

Substance use disorders such as alcohol use disorder or opioid use disorder are often used as an unhealthy coping mechanism to alleviate symptoms associated with underlying depression or anxiety.  On the other hand, when an individual develops a substance use disorder, their brain chemistry changes, making them more prone to the development of a mental health disorder.

The term “dual-diagnosis” is an outdated term and has been replaced by the term “co-occurring disorder” since individuals may have more than two disorders present simultaneously. The mental health and substance use disorder community believes that “dual,” which refers to two, is an inaccurate description as more than two disorders can co-occur.