Dual Diagnosis Treatment
When you’re struggling with a mental health disorder and addiction, you need dual diagnosis treatments. In the past, rehab facilities would focus on the chemical dependency but leave the co-occurring mental health condition alone.
Not surprisingly, far too many people suffered a relapse. Now, addiction specialists understand that it’s vital for you to deal with both conditions concurrently; and here’s how.
Dual Diagnosis Treatment in Pennsylvania
Anxiety disorders, depression, delusions, or extreme mood swings are just a few examples of mental health disorders. It’s tempting to think these situations only happen to other people. However, you would be wrong. The last Behavioral Health Trends in the United States publication paints a grim picture.
Researchers found that 7.9 million American adults struggle with an addiction and a mental illness. These figures factored in 12.3 million Americans with a substance abuse problem and 35.6 million people with a mental illness. For patients with a severe mental illness, about 2.3 million also dealt with chemical dependency. It’s clear there’s a great need for dual diagnosis treatments in the rehab setting.
How Does Dual Diagnosis Treatment Work?
It’s interesting to note that treatment for dual diagnosis is not a separate course or modality. Instead, it takes place across a broad range of addiction treatment programs.
Examples include:
- Medication-supported detox programs with consistent supervision for safety, psychological, and physical wellbeing
- Inpatient rehab that combines talk therapy for addiction counseling with psychotherapy for mental wellness
- Pharmacological support for mental health disorders that respond well to this level of treatment
- Group therapy and support group meetings with peers who also require assistance for a dual diagnosis
- Gender-specific group settings that emphasize safety, a nurturing environment, and consistency in care
How Mental Illness and Substance Abuse Relate
It’s often not possible to pinpoint which condition came first. For some, self-medicating with drugs or alcohol helped to keep intrusive thoughts at bay. For others, deep depressions happened when they were in between doses of their drugs. No matter which camp you fall into, receiving treatment is vital to attaining sobriety.
Specifically, it’s also instrumental in aftercare. Your mental health disorder won’t go away by itself.