Young adults and dual diagnosis

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Young adults and dual diagnosis When mental
health intersects with addiction
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What is a mental illness

• A mental illness is a medical condition that
  disrupts a person's thinking, feeling, mood,
  ability to relate to others and daily
  functioning. 

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Mental illness by the numbers

• 1 in 4 adults have a diagnosable mental illness
• 1 in 5 young people aged 13-18 have a diagnosable
  mental illness
• Half of all mental illnesses begin by the age of
  14
• Three quarters of mental illnesses begin by age
  24.

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Cause

• Diathesis Stress Model
• Genetic Predisposition
• Stress and trauma
• mental illness and/or substance use

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Substance use and mental illness
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Substance use and mental illness
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Why does this matter?

• Substance use worsens mental health symptoms
• Co-occurring disorders are much more difficult to
  diagnose
• Substances interfere with medications
• If only one of the two disorders is treated, the
  person is not likely to improve

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Cannabis and Psychosis

• Psychosis Loss of contact with reality
• Hallucinations
• Delusions
• Paranoia
• THC, the chemical in cannabis that affects the
  way you feel and think
• Some studies link cannabis use with an earlier or
  more severe onset of psychosis

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What helps?

• Harms reduction approach
• Housing First
• Assertive Community Treatment
• Integrated Dual Diagnosis Treatment

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Treatment
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Real life dual diagnosis Nate Cannon
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NAMI Minnesota

• Provides education, support and advocacy for
  people with mental illnesses and their families.
• 1-888-NAMI-HELPS or 651-645-2948
• namihelps.org or namihelpsyouth.org
• Running on a mind rewired by Jennifer Cannon
  www.runningrewired.com