Correlating Substance Abuse Disorders and Mood Disorder: Clinical Implications of a Dimensional Approach

Abstract

Introduction: Substance use disorder (SUD) is a complex condition that often co-occurs with mood disorders such as anxiety and depression. With a dimensional approach, this study seeks to investigate the relationship between substance use disorders and mood disorders.

Methods: 290 people in total, including 145 SUD sufferers and 145 healthy controls, participated in the study. To assess mental health, the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) was employed, and then an interview based on the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), respectively, was conducted. We gathered and examined demographic information, substance use behaviours, and mental health symptoms.

Results: 90% of the participants in the study were men, and 10% were women. Only 31.7% of the patients were single, while 68.2% of them were married. Smokers (71.0%) and alcohol users (35.8%) constituted the majority of drug addicts, while the remainder were either drug or tobacco users (33.7% and 19.3%, respectively). The majority of substance users (84.8%) reported using drugs to experience a high. Results from the HAM-D scale showed that 7.5% of the study sample and 5.5% of the control group, respectively, exhibited moderate to severe depression. Additionally, 88.9% of the control group had no signs of anxiety, as opposed to 80.6% of the SUD group.

Conclusion: The results made it clear that people with SUDs frequently experience both anxiety and depression at the same time. These results underscore the need for dual diagnosis and integrated treatment approaches for patients with SUDs and mood disorders