Abstract
Objective: To describe the feelings and symptoms of people in mental distress who lives with comorbidities between the use of alcohol and other drugs and severe and persistent mental disorder. Methodology: descriptive and qualitative study conducted in six rehab for substance abuse and a Psychosocial Care Center. The data has been collected via individual interview depth and application of therapeutic communication with 31 patients. The interviews were fully transcribed and raisins for the content analysis process, thematic modality. Results: The results were made up of units of perceptions of situations before the falling ill, its articulated beginning with motivation and drug use, as well as symptoms and concomitant feelings the disorder substance use and/or mental disorder. Final remarks: The relationship of drug use with the mental disorder at sometimes does not make clear, but it is exists, as evidenced in our study by speech of the interviewees, to the associate the use and abuse of drugs in the attempt to alleviate or deal with unpleasant affective states such as boredom, depression, anxiety and loneliness.