The Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries defines personality as “the combination of characteristics or qualities that form an individual’s distinctive character,” including patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaving. Addiction Center explains that an addictive personality refers to someone that is more likely to become addicted to something. Recent studies suggest that personality traits can be linked to differences in the thickness and volume of various parts of the brain. Many professionals ascertain that one’s personality is influenced by external stimuli (e.g., being exposed to different experiences, changing environments, etc.). Though the fundamental areas of one’s personality are largely thought to remain unchanged throughout one’s life, according to National Public Radio (NPR), they can and often do gradually shift across one’s life span. The following are four common questions about addictions and addictive personalities, along with their respective answers.
- Is addiction a disease? Yes, addiction, also known as substance use disorder (SUD), is listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), as a chronic, relapsing neurological disorder. It is characterized by “clinically significant impairments in health, social function, and voluntary control over substance use.”
- Where does addiction come from? While the scientific reasoning behind why an individual develops an addiction remains unknown, there are certain risk factors (e.g., environmental risk factors, genetic risk factors, psychological risk factors, socioeconomic risk factors, etc.) that can increase an individual’s susceptibility to developing an addiction. Further, an individual’s behaviors have the propensity to contribute to the development of substance use disorder.
- Can addiction lead to mental health disorders? Yes, studies show that substance use disorder increases one’s risk of mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and psychosis.
- Is it common for addiction to simultaneously occur along with another mental health disorder? Yes, it is highly common, and when an individual is diagnosed with substance use disorder and a co-morbid mental health illness it is referred to as a dual diagnosis. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) asserts that nearly half of the people “who have a mental [health] disorder will also have a substance use disorder at some point in their lives and vice versa.” The 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found approximately 8.1 percent of individuals in the United States are living with mental illness and substance use disorder. This amounts to more than 8.5 million Americans who were found to have a dual diagnosis.
Treatment In Calabasas
Calabasas is a city in California. It is a well-known suburb of Los Angeles, located west of the San Fernando Valley and north of the Santa Monica Mountains. Over the past decade, the city of Calabasas has grown in its reputation for luxury as well as for privacy which makes it a hidden gem for residential living for society’s elite, and one of the most desirable destinations in Los Angeles County. It is also home to a plethora of highly qualified mental health clinicians providing an array of therapeutic services and treatment options.
The information above is provided for the use of informational purposes only. The above content is not to be substituted for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment, as in no way is it intended as an attempt to practice medicine, give specific medical advice, including, without limitation, advice concerning the topic of mental health. As such, please do not use any material provided above to disregard professional advice or delay seeking treatment.
