PITTSBURGH — Mental health problems and substance abuse disorder often occur together. Health experts say both can be triggered by exposure to stress or trauma, changes in the brain, or family history.
One Wexford family knows the struggle all too well. They lost their 21-year-old daughter after a long battle with both conditions.
As a child, Siena Bott thrived on being surrounded by family and friends.
“Siena really had a gift of embracing people and bringing them into her joyful place,” said Sherry Jo Matt, Siena’s mother.
But at age 12, her parents say Siena was assaulted, and that trauma started a cycle that was tough to break.
“She had low self-esteem, low confidence. and she also was diagnosed with bipolar and borderline personality [disorder],” Matt said.
As a teen, Siena began to drink. Then, she moved to pills.
“It’s painful to watch your child spin the drain and you can’t help them,” Matt said.
Dr. Jody Glance is a psychiatrist and clinical chief of addiction medicine services at UPMC Western Behavioral Health. Dr. Glance says it’s common for people to have both substance use disorder and mental health concerns.
“They co-occur at a frequency that could be as high as 80%,” Dr. Glance said.
Matt and her husband Tom Bott say by 21, Siena had gotten clean and moved back home. They were away for the weekend when Siena texted them to say she was feeling anxious. They say Siena took what she thought was a Percocet, not knowing it was laced with fentanyl.
“The next call we got was someone telling us our daughter was dead,” Matt said.
Not long after they buried their daughter, Tom and Sherry Jo founded the nonprofit Stop the Judgment Project to offer other parents information and support.
“I think a lot of times people see somebody with substance use disorder or mental health disorder and they judge them or they put them in a box and say, ‘that’s not my child, and I can’t relate to that.’ And nothing could be further from the truth,” Bott said.
Experts say if you suspect a loved one or friend is struggling, look for symptoms of both mental health and substance use.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, behavioral changes may include mood swings, angry outbursts, lack of motivation and a loss of interest in activities or a change in friend group.
Physical changes could include a sudden weight loss or gain, bloodshot eyes or a shabby appearance.
Dr. Glance says in the past few years, there’s been a move to treat both mental health issues and substance use at the same time. And she says people are more open about both conditions.
“It’s something that people are starting to view from a more compassionate place. And we know that these disorders are physiologic changes in the brain,” Dr. Glance said.
“There are a lot of people that have kids with anxiety, that have kids with mental health, that have kids, you know, that are suffering. And if we talk about it, it’s not so isolating,” Matt said.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, call or text 988.
Click here to find UPMC behavioral health locations.
Click here to learn more about the addiction services UPMC offers.
Click here for information and additional resources on mental health and substance use disorder from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
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