Mental Health and Substance Abuse Literature Research Paper

The relationship between mental illness and substance abuse
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Abstract
Drug abuse and usage are often products of chronic biochemical changes within the brain, which result in the creation and development of dependency. As it can be seen, there are two different directions through which drug addiction can be viewed; from the genetic perspective and the environmental or sociocultural perspective. There is always that link between the surrounding of an individual, and his or her subsequent response to drug use. The surrounding can also influence the predisposition to these drugs in one way or the other. By dissecting such factors, there can be a systematic deconstruction and hence understanding of how drug abuse and addiction occur, as well as how the entire process can be reversed and hence managed.
Substance abuse and mental disorder are two different health problems. Nevertheless, it is well established that people who experience mental disorder are prone to engage in substance abuse. Similarly, drug addicts are more likely to develop at least one form of mental disorder than non-drug addicts. Co-occurrence of substance abuse and mental disorder poses a significant effect on the affected individual; his/her close family members, and the state’s healthcare system. The relationship between mental illness and substance abuse is well demonstrated by; the significant role that mental illness plays in the establishment of substance use, how drug abuse motivates the emergence of mental disorder and the common factors that influence the emergence of drug abuse and mental disorder.
Introduction
Substance abuse and mental illness place a burden on individuals, society, and governments. Mental illness reduces economic productivity while also influencing the state of living of individuals and their loved ones. Similarly, substance abuse harms the productivity, brain functioning, and wellbeing of the involved people. When not addressed early, mental illness and substance abuse increase the mortally rate among individuals while also increasing the load on the healthcare system. When substance abuse and mental illness co-occur, the ensuing problems are usually magnified and more complicated, which increases the challenges that affect the treatment and management of affected people.
Although mental illness and substance abuse are two distinct health issues, several studies have shown that people who experience mental disorder are prone to drug abuse than people who do not suffer from any form of mental disorder (Kessler et al., 2017; Buckley, 2016). Conversely, drug addicts are more likely to suffer from various forms of mental illness than people who do not abuse substances. This paper aims to examine the link between substance abuse and mental illness by analyzing how mental illness contributes to the emergence of substance abuse, how substance abuse contributes to the development of mental illness and the common risk factors that simultaneously contribute to the occurrence of substance abuse and mental illness.
Literature review
The association between substance abuse and mental illness is complex. However, it is well established that approximately 50% of people with menta...