Co-Occurring Disorders

Adolescents diagnosed with bipolar disorder should be carefully screened for drug and alcohol abuse and cigarette smoking, because they are at significantly higher risk for developing substance abuse problems.

Adults with mental disorders are four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence that among adults with no mental illness.

Children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are at risk for developing alcohol and other substance abuse related disorders, especially if they have an alcoholic parent or they have stressful experiences in the family.

Girls ages 12-17 are more likely to start substance abuse treatment at an earlier age, more likely to have a co-occuring disorder and more likely to to report alcohol or inhalants as their primary substance of abuse, than boys of the same age.

People who experience anxiety in stressful situations are more likely to turn to alcohol to relieve their anxiety symptoms, according to research at Dalhousie University.

Impulsivity is a problem with anyone who is an alcoholic, but alcoholics with antisocial and borderline personality disorders may be particularly troubled by inhibitory-control issues.

Research indicates that two of the most common anxiety disorders found among alcoholics – social phobia and panic disorder – are more strongly associated with alcohol relapse than other anxiety disorders.

There is a remarkable overlap between substance abuse disorders and borderline personality disorder, according to About.com BPD Guide Kristalyn Salters-Pedneault.

Adults with a substance use disorder in 2002 were almost three times as likely to have serious mental illness as those who did not have a substance use disorder, according to a report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Substance abuse and mood and anxiety disorders that arise independently of substance abuse and withdrawal are some of the most common psychiatric disorders in the United States.

An estimated 30.8 million American adults meet standard diagnostic criteria for at least one personality disorder as defined in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition, according to the results of the 2001-2002 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions.

The term comorbidity refers to the presence of any two or more illnesses in the same person including medical or psychiatric conditions, as well as alcoholism.

The prevalence of personality disorders among patients with alcohol and drug use disorders is significant in the United States population, according to published study.

Adults with ADHD have a significantly higher risk for alcohol dependence and genetic factors contribute very little to the connection, according to a published study.

People with anxiety disorders may deliberately drink alcohol in order to cope with social interaction, and avoid social situations where alcohol is unavailable.

It is generally believed that 30% to 60% of those with bipolar disorder also struggle with alcoholism or substance abuse, an attempt to alleviate symptoms or to self-medicate.

Alaska governor's office will receive almost $3.5 million over five years to increase the capacity of state treatment systems to provide effective, coordinated and integrated treatment services to persons with co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders.

Dysfunction in brain regions that govern how humans relate to their environment and make adaptive decisions may in turn facilitate the development of alcoholism through maladaptive, disinhibited behavior.

Dual diagnosis is defined as a chronic mental illness coexisting with a substance abuse disorder. As many as 60 percent of those with bipolar disorder struggle with alcohol and/or drug abuse.

A study of Swiss women with eating disorders suggests that those who binge and purge are more likely to have attempted suicide in the past, regardless of whether they have been diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, bulimia or another eating disorder.

If you have social anxiety disorder, there is a 20 percent chance that you will also be diagnosed as an alcoholic, according to About.com SAD Guide Arlin Cuncic.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can be an extremely debilitating condition that can occur after exposure to a terrifying event or ordeal.

As much as 50 percent of the mentally ill population also has a substance abuse problem.

A dually diagnosed individual can throw the best of families off balance.