Which Mental Disorder Is Most Commonly Comorbid With Alcoholism? (2024)

May 24, 2021 | Mental Health

Which Mental Disorder Is Most Commonly Comorbid With Alcoholism? (1)People with substance abuse disorders often become addicted when they attempt to self-medicate. Some get addicted to drugs or alcohol after suffering a severe physical injury. Others are prescribed anti-anxiety medications, become addicted and turn to street drugs when their doctor stops writing prescriptions. Unfortunately, since alcohol is the easiest drug to obtain, it is the most abused substance used by individuals seeking relief from mental health problems.

According to theNational Institutes of Health (NIH), three mental disorders most commonly comorbid with alcoholism are major depression, bipolar disorder and anxiety disorder. Less frequently co-diagnosed with alcoholism is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), dependent personality disorder and conduct disorder.

Alcohol and Depression

It seems counterintuitive to abuse alcohol when you feel depressed. A nervous system depressant that is rapidly absorbed by the body, alcohol reaches the brain within minutes of taking one drink. As soon asalcohol interacts with certain brain receptors, a neurotransmitter called dopamine starts flooding the brain.

Dopamine is linked to feelings of euphoria, pleasure and improved mood. When a depressed person drinks alcohol, they feel temporary relief from depression and sadness. However, after intoxication wanes, their depression comes roaring back. In addition, alcoholism develops rapidly as the brain demands regular surges of dopamine and euphoria. When this demand is not met, the person experiences withdrawal symptoms, such as worsening depression, anxiety and flu-like body pain.

Alcohol and Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder makes people cycle through “down” moods and “up” moods. Bipolar depression and bipolar mania are much more severe than depression or anxiety when they are presented as standalone mental illnesses.

Researchers haven’t pinpointed the exact reason behind the association between bipolar disorder and alcoholism but hypothesize it may involveexisting risk factorsfor addiction like genetics and environmental factors. Since ongoing studies indicate bipolar disorder symptoms can emerge during alcohol withdrawal, it may happen that alcoholism triggers bipolar disorder in some predisposed individuals.

The manic phase of bipolar disorder disorder makes people feel incredibly anxious and agitated. They can’t slow down racing thoughts or control impulsive behavior that often creates relationship and financial difficulties. Individuals may not even remember what they said or did during a particularly severe manic episode. Consequently, alcohol abuse is commonly seen in people with bipolar disorder who have to deal with the fallout due to poor behavior.

Alcohol and Anxiety

In addition to increasing dopamine in the brain, alcohol also fuels endorphin release. Endorphins are polypeptides that target opioid receptors in the brain. Like dopamine, they boost feelings of pleasure and well-being. Endorphins also help reduce pain caused by physical injuries. People with generalized anxiety disorders or panic disorder oftenself-medicate with alcoholto suppress symptoms and temporarily feel like they are in control of their anxiety. In many cases, individuals taking prescription anti-anxiety medications use alcohol to increase the side effects of anxioloytics like Valium or Xanax. This increases the risk of accidental overdose as well as an addiction to pills and alcohol.

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Which Mental Disorder Is Most Commonly Comorbid With Alcoholism? (2024)

FAQs

Which Mental Disorder Is Most Commonly Comorbid With Alcoholism? ›

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), three mental disorders most commonly comorbid with alcoholism are major depression, bipolar disorder and anxiety disorder.

What personality disorders are most commonly associated with alcohol abuse? ›

Similarly, the types of personality disorders, including their combinations, found to be related to alcoholism are very heterogeneous. The most consistent have been: histrionic/dependent, paranoid, dependent/paranoid/ obsessive-compulsive, narcissistic/avoidant, antisocial, borderline, and avoidant/borderline (54).

Which of the following disorders are the most common among alcoholics? ›

The chronic disorders associated with alcoholism are psychological, social, and medical. Among the psychological disorders are depression, emotional instability, anxiety, impaired cognitive function, and, of course, compulsive self-deleterious use of alcohol.

What are the most common comorbid mental disorders? ›

What are some common comorbidities? Created with Sketch. Eating disorders: anxiety disorders, mood disorders, self-harm, and substance use disorders. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: Social phobia, impulse control, borderline personality, alcoholism, eating disorders.

What is most commonly comorbid with alcoholism? ›

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), three mental disorders most commonly comorbid with alcoholism are major depression, bipolar disorder and anxiety disorder.

What is alcoholism associated with? ›

Drinking alcohol is associated with a risk of developing health problems such as mental and behavioural disorders, including alcohol dependence, and major noncommunicable diseases such as liver cirrhosis, some cancers and cardiovascular diseases.

What mental disorder is associated with alcoholism? ›

By far, the most common mental health conditions that co-occur with AUD are depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, trauma- and stress-related disorders, other substance use disorders, and sleep disorders.

What is the syndrome associated with alcoholism? ›

Korsakoff syndrome is a chronic memory disorder caused by severe deficiency of thiamine (vitamin B-1). Korsakoff syndrome is most commonly caused by alcohol misuse, but certain other conditions also can cause the syndrome.

What illnesses do alcoholics suffer from? ›

High blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, liver disease, and digestive problems. Cancer of the breast, mouth, throat, esophagus, voice box, liver, colon, and rectum. Weakening of the immune system, increasing the chances of getting sick. Learning and memory problems, including dementia and poor school performance.

What disorders are comorbid with personality disorders? ›

Personality disorders frequently coexist with psychotic, affective, and anxiety disorders. Comorbid psychopathologies result in significantly greater functional impairment than do individual disorders.

What mental disorder is most common? ›

The National Alliance of Mental Health reports that one in five adults in America experiences a mental illness in their lifetime. Right now, nearly 10 million Americans are living with a serious mental disorder. The most common are anxiety disorders major depression and bipolar disorder.

What is a major comorbid condition? ›

Major Complication and Comorbidity (MCC) is a term used in healthcare revenue cycle management (RCM) and medical coding to describe significant medical conditions or complications that affect a patient's treatment, prognosis, and resource utilization.

What do most alcoholics have in common? ›

Generally, alcoholics seem to have the same kinds of personalities as everybody else, except more so. The first is a low frustration tolerance. Alcoholics seem to experience more distress when enduring long-term dysphoria or when tiresome things do not work out quickly. Alcoholics are more impulsive than most.

What personality type is most likely to be an alcoholic? ›

In general, the people most likely to abuse drugs and alcohol are introverts who experience fewer positive emotions than others.

Which personality disorders most highly correlated with substance abuse? ›

Comorbidity of personality disorders (PDs) and substance use disorders (SUDs) is common in clinical practice. Borderline PD and antisocial PD are particularly found to be associated with SUDs.

What is the most common personality disorder among people with substance use disorders? ›

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) commonly co-occurs with substance use disorder (SUD), and is the most common personality disorder seen in treatment settings. This article will cover what BPD is, what the symptoms of it are, and how it co-occurs with substance use disorder.

Which personality might be associated with higher risk of substance abuse? ›

In summary, regardless of the drug types, high neuroticism and low conscientiousness were found to be the common personality traits shown by users with problematic substance use across different studies [11].

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