• 39% to 47% of patients who seek treatment for opioid dependence have documented psychiatric comorbidities¹
• Opioid users have a significantly higher rate of depression (16%) compared with non-opioid users (6%)^2,3

Besides depression, the psychiatric disorders most commonly seen in opioid-dependent patients are¹:

• Other substance abuse disorders
• Post-traumatic stress disorders
• Antisocial and borderline personality disorders

Although the etiological role of psychiatric disorders in the genesis of opioid dependence is still unclear, there is reasonable evidence that many patients initially turn to substance use in an effort to self-medicate an untreated psychiatric condition.⁴ For these reasons, physicians should be alert to the possibility of untreated psychiatric conditions.⁵

At the same time, not all patients who exhibit symptoms actually have an underlying psychiatric disorder—substance abuse can mimic, exacerbate, or precipitate psychiatric symptoms and disorders.¹ Assessment is fundamental to determining whether symptoms reflect a primary psychiatric disorder or substance-induced condition.¹

Diagnosis of psychiatric disorders (or referral to someone who can) is critical to matching patients to the most suitable care.¹ The presence of comorbid psychiatric disorders does not preclude a patient's being treated with office-based or other pharmacotherapy, it simply means the condition should be addressed simultaneously by an appropriate healthcare professional.¹