Co-occurring disorders in a person typically include addiction and another mental health disorder. Dual diagnosis treatment is often required to address both issues. However, addiction treatment professionals can’t recommend dual diagnosis rehab without an official diagnosis of co-occurring conditions, including a substance use disorder (SUD).
Skywood Recovery offers dual diagnosis treatment in Augusta, Michigan, that has proven successful for many people. Call 269.280.4673 to learn more about our dual diagnosis rehab program and how we can help you or your loved one.
What to Know About Dual Diagnosis Cases
It’s been estimated that only about half of people with dual diagnoses get appropriate treatment. There may be more people struggling with dual diagnoses who escape detection and aren’t part of official statistics because they never ask for help or enter any treatment program.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) reports that addictions and other mental health disorders could coincide due to shared risk factors, such as:
- Genetic vulnerabilities – Overlapping genetic vulnerabilities could make a person susceptible to a dual diagnosis or increase the risk of developing a secondary issue when the first appears.
- Environmental triggers – Traumatic experiences or stress could lead to a mental health disorder—such as PTSD—and addiction.
- Brain abnormalities – Portions of the brain that respond to stress or chemical reward could be abnormal in people struggling with specific mental health issues and could also make people vulnerable to developing an addiction.
- Life stages – Both mental health disorders and addictions tend to take hold during adolescence when the brain changes rapidly. Adding drugs to the mix at this time could do damage that leads to mental health issues.
It’s essential for people struggling with dual diagnoses to undergo dual diagnosis treatment.
This type of treatment can prevent further brain damage and help people learn how to cope with their conditions.
Types of Dual Diagnosis Cases
Most treatment providers agree that there is no single type of dual diagnosis. Some cases can severely impair an individual’s ability to function and relate well to others daily, while others might only cause cyclical impairment. The most common types of dual diagnosis cases are the following:
- Anxiety disorders and alcohol addiction
- Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and alcohol or marijuana addiction
- Bipolar disorder and alcohol or marijuana addiction
- Major depressive disorder and alcohol addiction
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorder
Alcohol addiction is the most likely SUD to be involved in dual diagnosis cases. The National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) estimates that more than 36% of those with dual diagnoses struggle with alcohol addiction. Mood disorders are the most likely mental health conditions to be paired with addiction in dual diagnosis cases. The NESARC estimates that more than 31% of those with dual diagnoses struggle with a mood disorder.
Symptoms of Co-Occurring Disorders
The symptoms people struggling with co-occurring disorders experience vary greatly depending on the mental health disorder in each dual diagnosis case. The nature of dual disorders becomes even more complex when alcohol and drug use are considered. While it’s true that dual diagnosis can take many forms, some shared symptoms can be observed in anyone that may be dealing with a dual diagnosis, such as:
- Isolating from friends and family
- Problems at work or school
- Relationship difficulties
- Engaging in risky behaviors
- Mood swings
- Difficulty concentrating
- Memory problems
- Paranoia
- Hallucinations or delusions
- Changes in eating habits
- Sleeping too much or too little
- Loss of interest in activities that were once enjoyed
Withdrawal from dual diagnosis treatment is common. It’s estimated that about 50% of people in dual diagnosis treatment will experience at least one episode of withdrawal during their time in treatment. Withdrawal symptoms can vary depending on each dual diagnosis case’s mental health disorder and addiction. However, some common withdrawal symptoms people in dual diagnosis treatment might experience include anxiety, depression, mood swings, fatigue, insomnia, headaches, muscle aches, and addictive substance cravings.
What to Know About Dual Diagnosis Treatment
The term “dual diagnosis” refers to a condition in which a person has a mental health disorder and a SUD. When dealt with alone, either condition could be devastating or even deadly. Still, when put together, the conditions tend to reinforce and interact with one another, making total recovery all the more difficult for the person struggling to accomplish without help.
While the specific causes of dual diagnosis cases aren’t fully understood, researchers know that a comprehensive treatment plan that simultaneously impacts all of these factors, providing complete care for both conditions, has the greatest chance of success.
What to Expect from Integrated Dual Diagnosis Treatment Programs
The foundation of an integrated treatment model is a “systems approach,” which consists of looking at the psychiatric and psychological history and the addiction. Often, this begins with a thorough evaluation and assessment. Often, these inpatient interviews reveal deep problems that must be addressed in treatment—such as:
- Undesirable living arrangements
- A history of arrest
- A history of previous psychiatric hospitalizations
- Poor familial and social relationships
- A history of abuse of multiple drugs
People with these severe issues would need a serious care approach to recover. For this reason, most experts agree that people with dual diagnoses should receive care in an inpatient program, where they live on the grounds and obtain help on a 24/7 basis.
Medication Management
Many people who enter programs for addiction would like to stop using all drugs almost immediately, without exception. While that is a reasonable approach for many people, it might not be the most appropriate approach for people with dual diagnoses. Some might benefit from taking medications to treat their mental health issues.
Medications for mental health disorders might take several weeks or even months to take hold and help a patient feel better. As a result, dual diagnosis program staff members work hard to monitor patients and ensure they feel comfortable and relaxed, even if their medications aren’t operating optimally.
Effective Therapy Approaches
Most people who enter dual diagnosis treatment programs are paired with a therapist and are asked to go through multiple one-on-one treatment sessions. In these sessions, they discuss their addictions and other mental health issues and learn more about how they can handle them. Here, people can learn from, support, and share stories of recovery with one another. It could be a meaningful way for people to improve.
For some people, group therapy makes a world of difference. Therapists might also use additional techniques to reach their dual diagnosis patients. For example, exposure therapy might benefit patients struggling with an anxiety disorder. People with dual diagnoses might find tailored therapy techniques like this to be incredibly helpful.
Find Dual Diagnosis Treatment in Augusta, Michigan, at Skywood Recovery
Skywood Recovery is committed to treating addiction and co-occurring mental health disorders of all patients with a dual diagnosis case. If you have any questions about dual diagnosis treatment in Augusta, Michigan, contact Skywood Recovery today at 269.280.4673. Skywood Recovery admissions coordinators are available 24 hours a day to speak with you about dual diagnosis rehab options.