Depression and addiction: what to know

Alcohol, drugs, medicines or compulsive behaviours may be used to escape sadness, anxiety or emotional pain. Relief can be brief, while sleep, energy, concentration, relationships and finances may deteriorate. Depression can also reduce motivation and make it harder to stop, attend appointments or follow a recovery plan.

The link does not prove that one problem caused the other. A clinician needs to ask what is being used, how often, what happens when it stops, and whether low mood began before or after the pattern. Insomnia, daytime sleepiness and irritability may reflect depression, withdrawal, intoxication or another health issue.

Be direct with a doctor or addiction-service professional about substances, medicines, cravings and mood; confidential, accurate information helps them choose safer care. Treatment may include psychological therapy, medication, peer or family support, and a medically supervised withdrawal plan when stopping suddenly could be dangerous.

Remove immediate access to substances when safe, avoid mixing drugs or alcohol, and ask a trusted person to help with appointments. Do not discontinue prescribed sedatives or other medicines without medical advice. Recovery can be staged: stabilising safety and sleep may come before longer-term goals.

Arrange an appointment when low mood, cravings or use is affecting sleep, work, relationships, health or self-care. Seek emergency help for an overdose, severe confusion, breathing difficulty, seizure, dangerous withdrawal symptoms, or thoughts of suicide or harming someone. If safety is uncertain, stay with the person and contact local emergency services.

Ask whether withdrawal needs supervision, how depression will be assessed, which treatments can be combined safely, how medicines interact with alcohol or other drugs, and who to contact outside appointments during a crisis.