Depression

4 things you should know about dual diagnosis treatment

Mental illness and repeated misuse of drugs or alcohol are often strongly connected and can happen simultaneously. The National Alliance on Mental Illness explains a term used to describe a person with mental illness and substance abuse disorder: co-occurring disorders or dual diagnosis. Unfortunately, more than 9.2 million adults in the U.S. experience both issues and the numbers have constantly changed since 2018. Mental health and substance abuse are difficult to handle individually, let alone when the two occur together. If you or someone you love suffers from a dual diagnosis, you need to seek specialized treatment. Here are some things you need to know about the dual diagnosis to help ease your mind.

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Dual diagnosis is not uncommon.

Many studies indicate mental illness and substance abuse are strongly related, regardless of which condition develops first. This makes dual diagnosis a prevalent issue because there is no way to know if one of these illnesses can trigger the other.

While it is true that illnesses such as depression and anxiety can trigger substance abuse or substance abuse can lead to mental illnesses, this does not mean that one happens because of the other. Common risk factors such as genetics, stress, or traumatic events can trigger these conditions to occur together.

Symptoms of these conditions are often similar.

Mental health disorders and substance abuse can happen for various reasons, but what makes them difficult to identify is that both share similar traits.

For example, both a person battling substance abuse and one struggling with a mental health disorder can exhibit severe mood changes, risky behavior, thoughts, or statements of self-harm, as well as avoid activities they previously enjoyed.

Dual diagnosis is challenging to treat

Specialists often struggle to find the right treatment for people suffering from either one of these issues, but things can become even more challenging when you put them together. One thing that makes dual diagnosis so difficult to treat is that it is often tough to identify exactly where certain symptoms come from.

Take, for example, a patient battling both drug addiction and depression. Because symptoms are often similar, there is no way to know where a certain problem comes from. This is why you need to find a good dual-diagnosis treatment center where experts can help with treatment.

Both conditions need to be treated simultaneously.

Substance abuse and mental health disorders can influence one another. For treatment to be as effective as it should be, both issues should be treated simultaneously. The type of treatment that should be applied is decided by the therapist, following the patient’s needs. Prescribed medication and behavioral therapy are often the most common forms of treatment. A person struggling with a dual diagnosis can usually be recommended a detox pro grill to help keep substance abuse under control. In other instances, inpatient treatment centers are the best solution to both problems.

Dorothy R. Ferry

Coffee trailblazer. Unapologetic student. Freelance communicator. Travel nerd. Music fan. Spoke at an international conference about donating magma for farmers. Had some great experience promoting saliva on the black market. Spent 2002-2009 lecturing about basketballs in Pensacola, FL. In 2009 I was writing about Magic 8-Balls in Miami, FL. Earned praised for my work importing crayon art in Hanford, CA. At the moment I'm managing sausage in West Palm Beach, FL.

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