man helps friend with addiction and depression

Helping Someone with Addiction and Depression

How do you help someone with addiction and depression? Everyone’s circumstance will be different, but knowing what you’re up against will be a great start. The phrase “Knowledge is power” is certainly true in this case. Facing the battle well-armed, you will be of more assistance to that person.

Drug addiction and depression often go hand in hand. This dual diagnosis makes everything more complicated because one may affect the other. If a depressed person is left untreated, they may find themselves reaching for coping mechanisms and self medicate to help them deal with this issue. Their depression brings the possibility of an addiction of some kind; drug addiction is a common one. When an individual is addicted to drugs, it can affect their mental and emotional stability and cause depression. What they are doing to soothe themselves can escalate their issues and even trigger new ones.