Addiction is a potent topic for debate in our debate-happy society, but, as with so many of those topics, the debates usually generate more heat than light. That’s why we are glad that the American Medical Association and the American Psychiatric Association have put out this handy, easy to read guide about addiction, separating fact from myth.
Addiction is an important topic for those of us working with mood disorders because anxiety, depression and bipolar are often found hand-in-hand with substance use disorders (see point 8 in the list above). Anyone seeking help with anxiety and mood should let their health care practitioner know about any substance use concerns they may have, and, conversely, anyone in treatment for addiction of any kind should discuss any concerns about anxiety and mood imbalance.
So please feel free to share this post as widely as you can. As it says, “Everyone should know”.
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