Many people struggling with addictions also have mental health issues such as depression or anxiety. Likewise, many people with depression or anxiety may have an addiction. We refer to this as a co-occurring disorder. Some people will try to argue that symptoms of depression and anxiety are caused by drug use, and once you are clean and sober those symptoms will go away. While this may be true for some, these symptoms that are still present in early recovery can cause a relapse. After all, how long will someone stay clean and sober if they are constantly depressed or anxious. Regardless of whether you self-medicated a mental health issue with your addiction, or your addiction caused your mental health issues, BOTH need to be addressed. In this episode wee will: Develop a broad biopsychosocial definition of co-occurring disorders. Learn about the reciprocal interaction between mental health, physical health and addiction. Discuss the multiple contributing factors of mood disorders to include physical issues and issues stemming from addictive behaviors. Explore ways to simultaneously address multiple disorders.