What’s the difference between substance abuse and a substance use disorder? And is addiction a mental illness, a behavioral health condition, or something else entirely?
What Is Addiction?
The clinical term for addiction is substance use disorder. It is also sometimes referred to as chemical dependency.
Regardless of the term that’s used, this condition is characterized by the continued compulsive use of alcohol or another drug, even after a person has been clearly harmed by prior use.
Common symptoms of addictions include:
- Having powerful cravings or urges to use alcohol or another drug
- Frequently using a substance in greater amounts or for a longer period of time than the person originally intended
- Devoting a significant amount of time to acquiring and using a drug, as well as recovering from its effects
- Failing to meet personal, academic, or work-related responsibilities because of substance use
- Continuing to use the substance even after incurring physical, psychological, or social damage that was either caused or worsened by previous drug use
- Frequently using a drug in circumstances pose obvious hazards, such as by combining it with other substances or driving while impaired by the substance
- Developing tolerance, or needing to use larger amounts of a substance order to experience its effects
- Developing withdrawal symptoms when trying to stop using a substance
- Having a persistent desire to stop using a substance, but being unable to do so
Is Addiction a Mental Illness?
Most experts describe addictions as chronic, progressive diseases:
- The “chronic” part of this description means that addictions are lifelong disorders, and that the goal of treatment isn’t to cure a person, but to help them manage their symptoms. Examples of chronic medical conditions include diabetes, epilepsy, and rheumatoid arthritis.
- The “progressive” descriptor signifies that if a person fails to take appropriate measures to manage their symptoms, their addiction is likely to become more severe over time. Diabetes and arthritis are also examples of progressive medical conditions.
Even though it is chronic and progressive, addiction is obviously different than the medical conditions referenced above. So, what category does it belong to? Is addiction a mental illness? Yes, it is.
To understand why addiction is classified as a mental illness, it can be helpful to review the distinction between substance abuse and a substance use disorder (addiction):
- Substance abuse is a behavior that involves the intentional misuse of alcohol or another drug. If a person tries to cope with stress by drinking excessively, that is an example of substance abuse.
- A substance use disorder, or an addiction, is a mental illness that involves overwhelming compulsions and a loss of behavioral control. If a person drinks every day because they feel compelled to, or because they experience physical and psychological distress if they don’t, that is an example of addiction.
In other words, while substance abuse can be an observable symptom of addiction, it is only a symptom.
Sneezing can be a symptom of an allergy – but not everyone who sneezes is doing so because they are having an allergic reaction. In the same manner, substance abuse may be an observable symptom of an addiction, but not everyone who engages in this risky behavior is addicted.
As defined in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), the essential feature of addiction is “a cluster of cognitive, behavioral, and physiological symptoms indicating that the individual continues using the substance despite significant substance-related problems.”
The DSM-5 also notes that addictions are characterized by “an underlying change in brain circuits that may persist beyond detoxification.”
To put it briefly: If a person uses a substance because they want to, they are making a conscious decision to engage in a certain behavior. If a person uses a substance because their body and brain are telling them that they have to, they have likely developed a mental illness called addiction.
Is Addiction a Behavioral Health Disorder?
If you spend much time reading about addiction, you are likely to see it described as a behavioral health disorder. This isn’t a mistake, and it doesn’t contradict what we just explained in the previous section.
Is addiction a mental illness? Yes, it is.
Is addiction also a behavioral health disorder? Yes, it is.
Does that make sense? As we hope you’ll soon see, yes, it does.
Behavioral health disorders and mental illnesses are not two separate categories. Instead, behavioral health disorders are a subcategory of mental illnesses.
The general category of mental illness encompasses several subcategories, including:
- Mood disorders – A subcategory that includes anxiety disorders and depressive disorders
- Personality disorders – A subcategory that includes borderline personality disorder, narcissistic personality disorder, and several other conditions
- Neurodevelopmental disorders – A subcategory that includes conditions such as intellectual developmental disorder (IDD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
Behavioral health disorders are a special subcategory of mental illnesses that includes conditions such as:
- Substance use disorders (addictions)
- Eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge-eating disorder
- Gambling addiction
- Sex/love addiction
The reason why these conditions are grouped into the behavioral health category is that they involve both psychological distress and abnormal behavior patterns. While other mental illnesses can also cause people to act in self-defeating ways, problematic actions are fundamental features of behavioral health disorders.
It’s common for people with behavioral health disorders to also have other mental illnesses. For example, addictions often co-occur with anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
If you have an addiction and a co-occurring mental illness – which clinicians refer to as dual diagnosis – it’s important to get treatment to address both conditions.
When you choose Valor Behavioral Health, we will assess the full scope of your needs, then develop a truly comprehensive plan to help you end your substance abuse and heal from any co-occurring mental health concerns.
Find Addiction Treatment in Atlanta
Valor Behavioral Health offers personalized outpatient care for adults and adolescents who have been struggling with addictions and other mental illnesses.
Treatment options at our rehab in Atlanta include a partial hospitalization program (PHP), an intensive outpatient program (IOP), and an outpatient program (OP). In each of these programs adults and adolescents receive age-appropriate services in separate treatment environments.
To learn more about how we can help you or a loved one, or to schedule a free consultation, please visit our Admissions page or call us today.
