Treating Mental Health Disorders Alongside Addiction

Many people facing addiction are also living with mental health conditions. These co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders affect millions—and treating them together is the key to long-term recovery.

At PursueCare, our virtual addiction treatment program is built to address substance use and co-occurring mental health conditions through coordinated, personalized care.

What Are Co-Occurring Disorders?

A co-occurring disorder (also called dual diagnosis) means someone is experiencing both a substance use disorder (SUD) and at least one mental health condition. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), nearly 50% of people with a mental illness will also face substance use issues during their lives.

These conditions often influence each other, which is why treating just one—without the other—can lead to relapse or incomplete recovery.

Why It’s Critical to Treat Both Conditions Together

The 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) reports that about 7.4 million adults aged 18 or older had co-occurring serious mental illness and a substance use disorder (SUD) in the past year. Among these individuals, 71.2% received either substance use treatment or mental health treatment, while 28.8% received neither type of treatment.

Research shows that treating co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders at the same time leads to better outcomes. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), integrated treatment results in higher recovery rates and improved long-term health.

Get Help from the Comfort of Home

We offer fully virtual, HIPAA-compliant care from a team of licensed therapists, addiction counselors, and psychiatric providers.
We use evidence-based methods, including:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Trauma-informed care
Medication-assisted treatment (MAT)
Psychiatric evaluation and follow-ups
Support and virtual check-ins