Dual Diagnosis Treatment in Maine

If you are asked which comes first, the chicken or the egg, you're probably not sure. Drug addiction and mental illness pose the same problem. Did the drugs cause depression or another mental state, or did the mental condition cause the patient to use drugs and become addicted? There are programs in the state of Maine that view drug addiction as a mental illness. These programs treat both drug addiction and mental illness simultaneously.

Identification

• According to MentalHealthAmerica.com, 29 percent of people who are diagnosed as mentally ill will abuse alcohol or drugs (see Resources). Dual Diagnosis, or Mentally Ill and Chemical Abusing (MICA), is a treatment that equally focuses on the addiction and the mental illness at the same time. Patients go through detoxification as the first step, then psychiatric and substance abuse treatment continues after detox.

Significance

• The substance abuse part of the program will include therapy, drug education, exercise, and possible participation in a 12-step recovery program. The psychiatric part of the program will include therapy as well as medication, mental illness education, support groups and possibly occupational and expressive therapy. Services may be inpatient or outpatient.

Geography

• Dr. Robert Blaik is the founder of the first inpatient Dual Diagnosis Program in Maine. The program is located at the Maine General Medical Center, which is in the state capital, Augusta. Dr. Blaik owns Maine General Psychiatry, an outpatient psychiatric program located in Hallowell, Maine. He practices Dual Diagnosis for adolescents and adults at his new center.

Considerations

• Hopelinks.net lists the centers throughout Maine that have dual diagnosis programs (see Resources). Each facility lists its address, phone number, and the programs offered. One center is the Acadia Hospital Substance Abuse Services located in Bangor, Maine. Acadia provides an alcohol and substance detox facility, as well as a methadone detox facility. The Aroostook Mental Health Center provides teen rehabilitation and outpatient recovery. The Portland Public Health and Homeless Clinic offers a 30-day and long term residential center.

Expert Insight

• The Dual Diagnosis Intensive Outpatient Program in Augusta, Maine offers financial assistance for those who do not have Maine Care Insurance or private insurance and qualify for assistance. The outpatient program focuses on group peer support and clinical support. Group meetings are Monday through Friday from 1:00 to 3:00 in the afternoon. The clinical meetings are set up according do the individual's schedule. The phone number is [phone].