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About Dual Diagnosis Treatment Facilities

Dual diagnosis means that a patient has a drug or alcohol addiction along with a psychiatric or emotional disorder. Many times an emotional disorder, such as depression, may cause a person to seek alcohol or drugs as an escape. This creates what psychologists call a dual diagnosis. Many psychologists and psychiatrists believe that in order to treat the drug or alcohol addiction, you also need to treat the psychiatric disorder. There are rehabilitation facilities that focus on both aspects of the disorder.

  1. Identifying the Problem

    • The first step is to identify the problem and figure out if there is a dual diagnosis. It does not really matter which disorder came first. For some people, they drink or use drugs to self-medicate. For others, their drinking or drug use leads to emotional disorders. What matters is the need to find the disorders and treat them all in order to completely heal.

    Statistics

    • According to DualDiagnosis.org, "Up to 65.5 percent of people with a substance dependence disorder had at least one mental disorder and 51 percent of people with a mental disorder had at least one substance abuse disorder...There are now more than 14 million people in the U.S. with co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders." This is why it is important to find a treatment facility that treats people with a dual diagnosis.

    Dual Diagnosis Treatment Facility vs. Rehab

    • Treatment facilities that specifically cater to those with dual disorders work to resolve the alcohol or drug addiction like any other drug rehab. But they also work to resolve the mental, emotional and psychiatric disorders. You work on both aspects of these disorders in order to heal completely and prevent relapses.

    Education

    • An important piece of dual diagnosis treatment is education. You learn how drugs and alcohol affect your body. And then you would learn about your mental illness and how that affects you. By learning the basics of the interactions of the two disorders, you will feel more empowered to work on treatment and toward healing.

    Is This a Quick Fix?

    • No. The process of overcoming addiction is not quick. Most treatment centers agree that this is a process which takes time and a true commitment from the individual. The centers will only proceed as fast as the individual is learning, growing and healing. Since a dual diagnosis treatment facility involves many different disorders, it may take months to work through everything. But this is so healing will last and prevent relapses.

    Denial

    • Many people with alcohol or drug addiction problems are in denial of their situation. Add to that a mental or emotional illness, and they may not realize the severity of the situation. It may be up to family and friends to intervene and get help for someone in this situation. You can guide them to the treatment needed, but in the end, the individual will have to decide to work toward changing on her own and this could take some time.

    Help is out there

    • If you or someone you love needs help, it is out there. You have made the first step in researching the problem. See the resources below or contact your doctor for further assistance.

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