Substance-Induced Mood Disorder: What Is It and How Does It Affect You

Substance abuse, whether it’s in the form of medicine, drugs, or other toxins, can have strong consequences on a person’s mental health.

The uncontrolled use of substances can lead to mental disorders, one of them being substance-induced mood disorders.

Here’s what you need to know.

What Is Substance-Induced Mood Disorder?

When mental disorders stem from substance or medication abuse and disorders like depression, anxiety, and psychotic or manic episodes are noticed and diagnosed in a person, they are referred to as a substance-induced mood disorders.

Substance-induced mood disorder symptoms tend to be similar to mental health disorders.

These disorders can happen while the person is actively using the drug or medication, while they are intoxicated, or during the withdrawal period.

People who misuse substances from softer to harder drugs are more likely to develop mental disorders that come as a consequence of that misuse.

As we said, certain medications can also lead to mood disorders, as the medication itself can cause mental disorders.

This substance-induced mood disorder is a psychological result of:

  • Using substances, legal or not, in an abusive manner
  • Certain medications
  • Exposure to heavy metals and toxins

How Does Substance-Induced Mood Disorder Affect You?

These mental disorders have an impact on the mood of a person and the way the person interacts with others lives their life and performs daily activities.

How do these disorders affect you? Symptoms of mental disorders include:

  • Depression
  • Bipolar disorder
  • Anxiety
  • Psychosis
  • Obsessive-compulsive disorder

These disorders also affect your behavior, as well as your emotional state and ability to function. You can experience:

  • Deep sadness, guilt, hopelessness
  • Loss of interest in certain activities that used to feel pleasurable
  • Sleeping problems
  • Fatigue and lack of energy
  • Changes in appetite
  • Trouble when having to concentrate
  • Suicidal thoughts
  • Irritability
  • Tension in the body and muscles

With the help of a professional that will monitor your behavior while exposed to the substances, you can overcome this disorder

The detox process for some disorders may require close observation from a doctor that will monitor the behavior during the withdrawal period.

Treatment for Substance-Induced Mood Disorders

Depending on the disorder, the doctor you work with will recommend a treatment that will best suit your needs.

Some people can benefit from having a treatment based on medication.

Other people can reap the benefits of having a counselor, support group, or a close person that can be supportive during the journey.

Each treatment is based on the reason the person has developed the disorder, whether it’s drugs, medications, or toxins.

Most symptoms of mood disorders disappear by themselves after a while when the person stopped using the substance they were addicted to. It also very much depends on the environment of each person and how supportive that is.

Over to You

It is possible to recover and stay healthy, but for that to happen you need to take action now. Get in touch with rehab cape town in your area and ask about their programs.

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