Dual Diagnosis Co-Morbidity and Society Article 2022

Running Head: DUAL DIAGNOSIS CO-MORBIDITY AND SOCIETY 1
Dual Diagnosis Co-Morbidity and Society
Name
Institution

DUAL DIAGNOSIS CO-MORBIDITY AND SOCIETY 2
Introduction
Dual Diagnosis is a term used to describe an individual diagnosed with a mental disorder
or substance use. It can also be interchanged and described as comorbidity disorder or a co-
occurring disorder, which is the existence of more than one disorder in an individual (National
Alliance on Mental Illness 2019). Naturally; it is co-existence of a new disease about an existing
one. Epidemiological study shows that comorbidity infections are common to drug and substance
addicts or psychoactive substances. Drug use may cause a user to experience more than one
mental health disorder which may be short-lived or a long term mental health disorder. Such
mental illness may include bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, major depression, and Psychotic
illness. The drugs commonly abused are alcohol and cannabis (Walter et al. 2009). Overlying
genetic vulnerabilities may cause this disorder. Once the genetic factors are predisposed, the
person is at risk of mental disorder. Proper Medical attention is also required seeing that the
disordered mental patients has more consequences from drug and substance abuse in contrast to
patients with schizophrenia or bipolar illness which is a mental disorder (Hryb, Kirkhart and
Talbert, 2007).
The article elaborates further on Dual diagnosis by discussing performance and image
enhancing drugs which have a high prevalence rate among the young people (NIDA). The report
also explains the causes of drugs addiction and how dependency of the drugs can be reduced.
Most of the duo diagnosed patients are not treated with care and respect, reason because health
practitioners fail to distinguish symptoms due to mental illness and symptoms caused by drug
and substance abuse (Saddichha, Schütz, Sinha & Manjunatha, 2015). The paper focuses on the

DUAL DIAGNOSIS CO-MORBIDITY AND SOCIETY 3
harmful effects of substances such as steroids, how they are treated, and how victims can manage
the infection.
History and Cultural Variations In dual Diagnosis
In Australia, the mental disorder was managed through imprisoning the victims besides
asylum walls; infected people were isolated from the rest in preventing exposure of the health
risks to the community. Isolation was done to punish them for their mental illness taken under
the care of wardens. They were commonly referred to as lunatic and harshly treated. Others were
chained in posts where they were left to stay on their own vomits, excretes with no hope to live a
free life. The unmanageable individuals and those who caused trouble faced a barbaric treatment.
The wealthy Australian people tried to manage their insane relatives by rocking them in dark
rooms. Others were put in private houses and put under the supervision of a doctor or a clergy
since they were viewed as evil possessed (Booth and Burford 2017). Until the 19th century, the
mental disorder was considered as lunacy or possessions in Australia. Today, mental disorders
are one of the common deadly diseases in Australia. One in five 20% Australian with a
significant age between 16 -85 years’ experience mental health illness every year and 45% of the
population in Australian have a common mental illness according to National Survey of Mental
Health 2016. Australian population estimate experiencing mental health disorder is about 8.6
million each year (Australian Government Department of Health 2016) The most prevalent
psychiatric disorder is mental illness, depression and substance disease increasing the rate of
suicide among the youths.
Different cultures have different views of mental illness. Culture refers to how
different people view and altitude towards mental disorders. In Australia, people with mental
illness faced a lot of stigmatization and viewed as an outcast in society. From this stigma, the

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mentally affected internalize the altitude and fail to seek medical attention. Additionally, Stigma
lowers their access to employment opportunities; proper housing and socialization, which make
them reduce their self-esteem increasing hopelessness in their lives (Putul et al. 2019). Among
Asian cultures, stigma is more such that they consider mental illness is brought by poverty within
the family lineage.
Androgenic Anabolic Steroids
Anabolic steroids are a group of hormones that has male sex hormone testosterone along
with synthetic versions which allow the production of polypeptide within the in the human cells.
The steroid increases testosterone concentration, electrifying protein synthesis, which increases
body size, muscles, and strength. Testosterone hormone stimulates the development of masculine
characteristics such as body baldness, sperm production, and also animate more physique among
males (Ganesan and Zito 2019). Moreover, testosterone is good for nitrogen balance, which
allows effective blood concentration that leads to androgen receptor allowing desirable anabolic
and androgenic changes. Therefore administration of testosterone may increase body
performance. Anabolic steroids can be taken orally, used as an ointment or injected to the body.
Athletes in sports mostly use anabolic steroids since it helps in tissue growth and reduces muscle
damage enabling the athlete to have a quick recovery in the sessions. In case of any injury, they
also able to heal quickly since anabolic steroids allow anabolic and catabolic balance through
protein synthesis. (Demling, 2005)
Anabolic steroid taking appears to be shared among the athletes seeing that they use the
drugs for several months where the quantity used increase gradually using various consumption