Research Topic · Peer-Reviewed

Mental Health Substance Abuse

Mental health and substance abuse refers to the intersecting domains of psychological disorders and the harmful use of alcohol and other drugs, including their frequent co-occurrence as comorbid or dual-diagnosis conditions. Substance use disorders are characterised by impaired control, continued use despite harm, a…

Curated from this journal's research 📚 5 peer-reviewed articles cited Cited 9× across the literature 🔖 ISSN 2474-9273 🗓 Reviewed July 2026

Overview

Mental health and substance abuse refers to the intersecting domains of psychological disorders and the harmful use of alcohol and other drugs, including their frequent co-occurrence as comorbid or dual-diagnosis conditions. Substance use disorders are characterised by impaired control, continued use despite harm, and physiological dependence, and they often coexist with mood, anxiety, trauma-related, and other psychiatric disorders. The relationship is bidirectional: psychological distress can promote substance use as a form of self-medication, while chronic intoxication and withdrawal can precipitate or worsen depression, anxiety, psychosis, and suicidal behaviour. Shared genetic, neurobiological, developmental, and social determinants, including stress, isolation, and adverse environments, contribute to both conditions. Research in this field examines patterns, trends, and inducing factors of illicit drug use within populations, the mental-health consequences of stressors such as pandemic-related quarantine and social isolation, and therapeutic approaches spanning psychological and behavioural interventions, suicide prevention models, and complementary therapies for anxiety. Because the two domains interact, integrated assessment and treatment that address psychiatric symptoms and substance use together are widely regarded as more effective than treating either in isolation. The field also considers prevention, harm reduction, and the social and demographic contexts that shape risk, informing policy and clinical practice in behavioural health.

Research published in this journal

5 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.

How this research is being cited

The 5 articles above have been cited 9 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.

A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Mental Health Substance Abuse, linking to each citing work.

Editorial oversight

Curated from peer-reviewed research published in Behavior Therapy And Mental Health (ISSN 2474-9273).

Journal editorial board
Dr. Rabiul Ahasan · Saudi Arabia Shahid Ullah · Australia Roberto Maniglio · Italy

This page summarises published research for orientation; it is not medical or professional advice.