Plano - Dual Diagnosis Treatment
Dual diagnosis describes the co-existence of a mental illness and a substance use disorder. A wide range of dual diagnosis scenarios are possible, including broad bi-directional links between conditions and specific causal relationships. Dual diagnosis treatment requires special experience with both mental health and addiction.
If you are suffering from a mental illness and an addiction to drugs or alcohol, there is help available. Specialized dual diagnosis treatment in qualified rehabilitation centers is offered for these conditions. For more information, contact Plano Drug Treatment Centers at (877) 804-1531.
What is Dual Diagnosis?
Dual diagnosis is also known as co-occurring disorders, even though there is a medical distinction between these two terms. According to the Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC), the primary disorder has to be related to substance use for someone to be diagnosed with a co-occurring disorder. The same is not the case for co-occurring disorders, where the primary disorder can be related to either substance use or mental health.
Controversy also surrounds the co-occurring disorders classification, with some critics saying it's inappropriate to use a single classification when describing a wide and complex group of interactions. Co-occurring disorders cases often require specialized treatment, with some drug rehab and mental health facilities specializing in these conditions.
Dual Diagnosis Conditions and Addictions
Dual diagnosis treatment can be challenging, with doctors and clinicians often having trouble differentiating between pre-existing mental disorders and substance induced conditions. Common co-occurring disorders include depression and alcoholism, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and opioid dependence, anxiety disorders and benzodiazepine abuse, and eating disorders and prescription drug abuse.
Clinical depression disorders are closely associated with addiction, with depressed people more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol and existing addicts also more likely to become depressed. Despite these close links, however, the warning signs of co-occurring disorders are often discounted by friends and family members, who often think someone is struggling with a single condition.
According to Mental Health America, almost one in three people with depression also suffer from a substance use disorder. If you are worried about a loved one, common signs of depression and substance abuse include weight loss, sleep problems and mood swings.
There are especially close links between depression disorders and central nervous system (CNS) depressants, with drugs like opioids, alcohol and benzodiazepines only likely to increase depression over time. While people often turn to these drugs to provide temporary relief from a depressive illness, these substances are only likely to trigger additional depression symptoms.
The links between depression and addiction are often complex and bi-directional in nature, with doctors and clinicians often having trouble defining the primary disorder. People living with this version of dual diagnosis often get caught in a dangerous cycle, with substance use adversely affecting depression disorders and feelings of depression leading to more substance use.
Dual Diagnosis Treatment
There are dual diagnosis treatment methods, with doctors first trying to define a primary disorder. If a primary disorder can easily be defined, a primary treatment plan will generally be initiated.
- Primary treatment deals with a single condition, with secondary symptoms possibly also alleviated. While this method of treatment is far from perfect, it is effective when the secondary disorder is a direct causal result of the first.
- Sequential treatment is an alternative treatment option, with the secondary disorder also treated once the primary disorder has been evaluated and stabilized.
- Parallel treatment is another option, with both disorders treated at the same time.
- Integrated treatment is yet another possibility, with no distinction made between primary and secondary disorders and a single treatment plan used to treat the condition as a whole.
If you or anyone you know is living with a dual diagnosis, it's important to make contact with a treatment center as soon as possible. Find out more when you call Plano Drug Treatment Centers at (877) 804-1531.