Getting an accurate diagnosis can be complicated, and even elusive, when substance use is involved. The effects of substance use can masquerade as other mental health issues and psychiatric disorders. For this reason, many substance users who seek treatment will be misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed at some point. This is often a frustrating process. It’s not uncommon, for example, for one’s diagnosis to be unclear for some time especially if there are significant symptoms that could be attributed to a condition other than substance use. Further, it is also not uncommon for diagnoses to change throughout the course of treatment.

One of the major difficulties in obtaining an accurate diagnosis is that substance users often have a very complicated history of symptoms and stressors. Individuals who have used substances over a long period of time may have symptoms directly related to substance use and another disorder simultaneously. Also, especially for people who have had only brief periods of sobriety, it is not always possible to understand where past symptoms have come from. In these cases, history — although perhaps given honestly — is not always enough. A substantial period of abstinence may be required before a thorough evaluation can be completed and other disorders are diagnosed or ruled out. Read the full story »