Treating Drug Addiction by Managing Co-Occurring Mental Health Issues

What is Dual Diagnosis in Treating Drug Addiction?

A person with a dual diagnosis has both a mental disorder and an alcohol or drug problem. These conditions happen together often.

Treating drug addiction by managing co-occurring mental health issues will result in long-term recovery for acknowledging the root cause of the addiction itself.

About half of people who have a mental illness will also have a substance use disorder at some point in their lives and vice versa. The interactions of the two conditions can worsen both.

With dual diagnosis, a person has two different illnesses. Each disorder requires its treatment therapies. We know that for clients suffering from dual diagnosis:

• When one condition is ignored, the other will likely get worse
• When both conditions are given proper treatment, the likelihood of lasting recovery is increased greatly

According to The World Health Organization (WHO), there are many different mental disorders with different presentations. However, they are commonly characterized by a combination of abnormal thoughts, perceptions, emotions, behavior, and relationships with others.

Treating drug addiction helps us understand more about ourselves and how we can keep a sound mind.

Moreover, the organization explained that the determinants of mental health and mental disorders include individual attributes such as managing one’s thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and interactions with others and social, cultural, economic, political, and environmental factors.

Additionally, stress, genetics, nutrition, perinatal infections, and exposure to environmental hazards also contribute to mental disorders. [1]

To determine the most effective way of treating drug addiction, we must first recognize what disorder we are struggling with. Being knowledgeable or having insights about your condition will help you go into treatment that will help you the most. [2]

Treating Drug Addiction While Recovering Balance Mental Health

In co-occurring disorders, mental health issues and drug or alcohol addiction have unusual symptoms that may get in the way of your ability to function at work or school, keep a stable home life, handle life’s difficulties, and relate to others.

To make the situation more complicated, the co-occurring disorders also affect each other.

For instance, when a mental health problem goes untreated, the substance abuse problem usually gets worse. And when alcohol or drug abuse increases, mental health problems usually increase too.

Co-occurring substance abuse problems and mental health issues are more common than many people realize. According to reports [3] published in the Journal of the American Medical Association:

• Roughly 50% of individuals with severe mental disorders are affected by substance abuse
• 37% of alcohol abusers and 53% of drug abusers also have one serious mental illness
• Of all people diagnosed as mentally ill, 29% abuse alcohol or drugs

While substance abuse problems and mental health issues don’t get better when neglected, they are anticipated to reach much worse—it’s crucial to know that you don’t have to feel this way.

There are things you can do to overcome your demons, rebuild your relationships, and get on the road to recovery by treating drug addiction.

With the proper support, self-help, and treatment, you can overcome a co-occurring disorder, reclaim your sense of self, and get your life back on track.

One of the most crucial parts of treating drug addiction is being open with what’s on your mind and how you feel.

It can be challenging to accept that you may be living with a mental illness, but once it is properly diagnosed and treated, treating the presenting case of substance abuse can be magnitudes easier.

Only a suitably trained medical professional can diagnose these underlying conditions. If you believe you are suffering from a disorder alongside addiction, we urge you to inquire about a qualified treatment center to begin your journey to recovery; call Level Up West Palm today.

Why Treating Drug Addiction is Connected to Mental Health?

Although these problems often happen together, this does not mean that one caused the other, even if one appeared first. It can be challenging to figure out which came first. [4] Researchers think that there are three possibilities as to why they occur together:

• Common risk factors may contribute to both mental disorders and substance use disorders. These factors include genetics, stress, and trauma.
• Mental disorders can contribute to drug use and substance use conditions. For instance, people with mental disorders may use drugs or alcohol to try to feel better temporarily. This is known as self-medication. Also, mental disorders may alter the brain to make it more possible for you to become addicted.
• Substance use and addiction can contribute to the development of a mental disorder. In addition, substance use may alter the brain in ways that make you more prone to develop a mental illness.

Treating Drug Addiction & Dual Diagnosis

Someone with a dual diagnosis must treat both conditions. For the treatment to be effective, you need to stop using alcohol or drugs. Treatments may involve behavioral therapies and medications. Also, support groups can give you emotional and social support.

They are also a place where people can share tips about how to deal with day-to-day challenges.

An excellent dual diagnosis drug treatment program and drug addiction therapy facility need to treat both conditions without treating one as the single cause of the other.

Addiction is a complicated illness, and no one thing is to blame for it. However, there are several options available to handle drug addiction therapy.

A good program for treating drug addiction will offer several levels of care as well as multiple treatment options. This allows the rehabilitation facility to meet the individual needs of its clients.

Treating drug addiction is weaning off the drug of abuse and balancing our mental health to live soundly.

Treating dual diagnosis clients is a critical aspect of our inpatient treatment experience because co-occurring disorders are strongly correlated with instances of substance abuse.

Creating a treatment plan that addresses the physical aspects of withdrawal, the psychological connection with drug use, and managing underlying mental health disorders is part of setting clients up for success.

A thorough mental health analysis identifies opportunities for treatment. Meeting with mental health counselors and medical care providers means access to behavioral therapy and medication treatment.

Treating Drug Addiction at Level Up West Palm

At Level Up Palm Beach County, we do not believe long-term recovery comes in a one-size-fits-all program.

For this reason, each client, upon arrival at our drug treatment center, will undergo an extensive and comprehensive physical and psychological exam with our team of physicians, mental health specialists, spiritual advisers, and nutritionists. 

Together, we will determine the client’s underlying issues to customize an individualized approach for treating drug addiction and, when appropriate, provide integrated dual diagnosis treatment.

In addition, the symptoms of the multiple disorders that can occur alongside addiction can present complex and similar symptoms. Therefore, proper diagnosis requires a highly trained professional staff with years of experience.

At our dual diagnosis treatment center, Level Up Palm Beach County can provide the highest quality of care for treating drug addiction.

We recognize the delicate intricacies of how mental and substance abuse disorders can influence the other and sometimes result in a vicious cycle of addiction.

That’s why we offer specialized treatment in dual diagnosis cases to provide the most excellent chance of true healing and long-lasting recovery.

Call us today for treatment options. Your call is private and confidential, and there is never any obligation.