Dual-Diagnosis Treatment for Co-Occurring Disorders
Quite often, patients seeking treatment for addiction suffer from one or more mental conditions alongside of their substance abuse. These situations are referred to as co-occurring disorders, leading to a dual diagnosis. When a dual diagnosis is present, patients must work on both their addiction and their mental disorders at the same time in order for rehab to be successful.
Dual Diagnosis Treatment for Co-Occurring Disorders in Addiction
Co-occurring disorders may be present before substance abuse leads to addiction. In these patients, substance abuse often began as an attempt to cope with mental imbalance, such as depression, anxiety or trauma. Such attempts are often referred to as “self-medication.”
For other patients, the co-occurring disorders may have developed during addiction. These mental conditions may have been caused by biological changes in the brain from overuse of drugs or alcohol. As a result of addiction, depression, rage, suicidal acts or anxiety may become a secondary problem.
At Recovery in Motion, dual diagnosis treatment often involves medication along with evidence-based therapies as part of integrated treatment. These therapies may provide trauma-informed therapy or other types of therapy appropriate to individual patient needs. Settings for these types of treatment may be within individual therapy or group therapy. Families are also treated and educated as part of the family participation program.
Many mental health issues can occur in combination with drug or alcohol addiction, including:
- Depression, bipolar disorder and other mood disorders
- Generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder and other problems associated with anxiety
- Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and phobias
- Schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder and other personality disorders
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Why Dual Diagnosis Treatment for Co-Occurring Disorders Is Important
If conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety or PTSD aren’t treated as part of recovery from addiction, relapse is very likely. Because patients often turn to drugs or alcohol to self-medicate and calm symptoms of their co-occurring conditions, they will likely keep doing so until the symptoms of their mental illness are under control. This is why dual diagnosis treatment is the only way to provide patients with co-occurring mental health issues with hope against relapse.
As part of dual diagnosis treatment at Recovery in Motion, patients and their families are educated about what having a co-occurring disorder means, as well as how medications help. This education ensures patients, and the underlying causes of their addiction, are better understood by their loved ones. When the real health conditions are understood, patients have a much better chance for long-lasting recovery.
While dual diagnosis treatment isn’t necessary for every patient, many do become aware of their co-occurring disorder for the first time in addiction treatment. This can be both challenging and a relief for patients and their families at the same time, as a co-occurring disorder diagnosis can provide many answers to past behaviors and why substance abuse became a problem.
Dual Diagnosis Treatment for Co-Occurring Disorders at Recovery in Motion in Tucson, AZ
Recovery in Motion’s residential treatment environment provides intensive, integrated therapies patients need when recovering from both addiction and co-occurring disorders. The structure of Recovery in Motion’s programs enable patients to build self-confidence while improving physical, emotional and psychological well-being. Patients also gain coping skills to help them overcome the impulses leading to substance abuse.
Recovery in Motion has rooms available right now for you or your loved one caught in the cycle of addiction, regardless of whether a dual diagnosis is expected. Call Recovery in Motion now at 866-849-0901 to learn more about residential treatment programs and gain the effective treatment needed for a real chance of lifelong recovery.