Co-Occurring Disorders

About

Comorbidity describes two or more conditions appearing in a person. The conditions can occur at the same time or one right after the other. Comorbid substance use disorder and mental illnesses are common, with about half of people who have one condition also having the other. Substance use disorders and mental illnesses have many of the same risk factors. Additionally, having a mental illness may predispose someone to develop a substance use disorder and vice versa. Treatment for comorbid illnesses should focus on both mental illness and substance use disorders together, rather than one or the other. Effective behavioral treatments and medication exist to treat mental illnesses and addiction.

Excerpted from “Drug Facts. Comorbidity: Substance Use Disorders and Other Mental Illnesses,” by National Institute on Drug Abuse; National Institutes of Health; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, found here. (last updated August 2018).

Hotlines

Service Providers

Articles

Organizations

Books

Other Resources