In the world we live in today, every one out of four people who suffer from a mental health disorder is also battling addiction. As per the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, only 8.3 percent of that figure gets treatment for both disorders.
With this in mind, scientists and doctors have understood the need to integrate treatments for existing mental health conditions during the drug rehabilitation process. As such, dual diagnosis treatment centers have cropped up all across the country to attend to people diagnosed with substance use disorder as well as a co-occurring mental condition.
In this blog, we outline what a dual diagnosis treatment center is and why it is of importance in helping people with substance use disorder make a successful recovery.
What Is Dual Diagnosis?
One’s mental health plays a huge role in different addictions. When a person suffers from both mental illness and substance abuse, then it can be said that the person has a dual diagnosis and is experiencing a co-occurring disorder.
Some of the psychological issues that addicts struggle with are:
- ADHD
- Bipolar disorder
- Border personality disorder
- PTSD and trauma
- Anxiety disorder
People who suffer from any of these conditions often turn to substance abuse as a way of coping with their mental health disorder. The only solution to fighting these addictions is by checking in to a dual diagnosis treatment center to get much-needed medical attention.
The Importance of Dual Diagnosis Treatment Centers
There is a lot of stigma around drug addiction because a lot of drug addicts are perceived as selfish, weak, or just people with poor character. This is a harsh view from the general public who fail to understand just how hard it is to deal with underlying mental issues and substance abuse disorders.
Society has prioritized mental health stigma, and so, in most cases, people who are not suffering from these disorders do not see them as serious issues. It is easier for people to assume that people suffering from mental disorders use their condition as an excuse to indulge in substance abuse.
Dual diagnosis treatment centers have fully understood that these misperceptions are not true and are really just formulated by individuals who do not understand the whole concept behind co-occurring disorders.
Any person suffering from a mental disorder illness and drug addiction will be left drained once they start rehabilitation treatment because it requires a lot of patience as they try to find a way to kick the habit.
As such, a dual diagnosis center is important as it gives addicts access to health medical practitioners who understand the sensitive situation the patients are in and will thus tend to them with ultimate care and professionalism.
Dual diagnosis treatment centers know that people are not likely to present themselves willingly for treatment. Instead, they will withdraw themselves, going deeper into the abyss.
For this reason, some, if not most, dual diagnosis treatment centers offer individualized therapy for individuals who are suffering from these disorders. This makes them comfortable with the routine, which helps improve their chances of living a life of sobriety.
The job of a dual diagnosis treatment center is to help its patients gain control over their substance abuse and mental disorder by recovering by creating health treatment programs for each patient.
They make sure that patients get clear, individualized treatment plans and a good bunch of them do regular follow-ups on the patients after they have been discharged. This helps them make sure the patient does not relapse and fully re-integrates back into society.
Another benefit of dual diagnosis treatment centers is they provide the proper care and therapy that patients need to overcome their trauma.
Through the sessions offered at the centers, patients learn more about their past traumatic experiences and how to get over them so that they do not repeat the same mistakes in the future.
Winding It Up
It is very possible for a patient to relapse if the conditions they are suffering from are not adequately dealt with. It is, therefore, imperative to choose a dual diagnosis treatment center that is well known for its quality services that can help you achieve holistic healing. That said, if you or your loved one is suffering from both substance abuse and a mental health condition, it is advisable to get help from a health professional as soon as possible. This makes it easier to curb the addiction and disorder before it gets to a stage where rehabilitation can no longer be an effective solution.