›› Dual Diagnosis Treatment
Dual diagnosis
refers to people that have been diagnosed with a mental illness in
addition to a chemical dependency of some kind. A chemical
dependency makes treating mental illness more difficult, and likewise
having a mental illness makes addiction treatment more
complicated. Dual diagnosis treatment is of course more
intensive than normal chemical dependency or mental illness
treatment.
While all that sounds grave, it’s often not as bad as it may
seem and dual diagnosis treatment is often effective. It is
estimated that at least half of everything suffering from an addiction
also has some form of mental illness, and people with a mental illness
are much more likely to become addicted to a drug, so the two
frequently go hand in hand.
The reasons for this can be quite simple; if you are suffering from an
anxiety disorder and don’t realize it, you’ll find
yourself drawn to sedatives and alcohol all your life without ever
really knowing why. They just seem to make you feel better,
or ‘normal’. Say you are depressed;
you’ll likely find some uppers and drugs that play on
serotonin to make you feel better. This kind of
self-medication is why the two conditions are so often linked, and much
of dual diagnosis treatment focuses on this cause/effect relationship.
The good news is just about every decent drug treatment program and/or
mental illness treatment facility is fully aware of this relationship,
and dual diagnosis treatment is offered by both of these types of
programs. If you find yourself in a program that does not
offer any form dual diagnosis treatment, I would seriously consider
leaving and finding a new program.
Usually, one of your conditions is labeled as the
‘primary’ condition that needs to be treated
first. More often than not, it’s the addiction, but
more serious forms of mental illness may require focus first.
So the very first step of dual diagnosis treatment is usually figuring
out what the nature of your mental illness is, and how serious your
addiction is.
Some treatment programs are especially known for their dual diagnosis
treatment, and have specialized on this treatment niche. If
you have any say in the matter, look for programs like this if
you’re a dual diagnosis patient. Additionally,
there are a lot of support groups and therapists that are specialized
for dual diagnosis treatment.
Don’t let your ‘dual diagnosis’ status
scare you away from seeking treatment! Keep in mind that MOST
people with addictions are dual diagnosis patients even if they
aren’t aware of it. Sometimes, being dual diagnosis
is actually a benefit. For example, if you know you drank
because of an anxiety disorder, treating your anxiety will also treat
your addiction.
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A Healthy Dose of Good Advice
