Dual diagnosis is a term used when someone has both a mental health disorder and a substance use disorder.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), 21 million people live with a substance use disorder, and 8 million also live with a mental illness. Therefore, dual diagnosis is more common than we often realize.
Addiction and mental illness are difficult to overcome, so the combination of the two can complicate things. But it’s important to know that it is possible to fully recover from both your substance use and your mental health disorder.
Huntington Beach Recovery Center is equipped to deal with dual diagnosis. We treat both conditions at the same time using psychotherapy, inpatient rehabilitation and medication. Some of the most common mental illnesses that we treat are anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
In the Case of Dual Diagnosis,
Does One Disorder Cause the Other?
Substance use is twice as likely for individuals with mental health problems because of their desire to self-medicate. For instance, if you’re struggling with anxiety or depression, drugs or alcohol can provide a temporary escape from your symptoms. They may help you relax around other people or take away the sadness you’re feeling.
However, drugs and alcohol only grant temporary relief – and the relief they provide is just an illusion. In reality, you’re silencing your symptoms and moving further away from healing. Plus, drugs and alcohol have their own effects that can exacerbate the symptoms of substance use, such as paranoia, anxiety, depression and confusion.
Even though an underlying mental health condition can trigger substance use, and vice versa, it’s important to know that the two diagnoses don’t have to be caused by each other. Several factors contribute to the onset of substance use and mental health disorders, including your environment, genetics and a history of trauma.
Treating Cases of Dual Diagnosis
Having dual diagnosis will make rehabilitation more complex, but Huntington Beach Recovery Center is confident in our ability to help. As a residential treatment center, you’ll start with detox and move onto therapy. This continuum of care ensures that you get all the help you need without any delays or gaps.
Our facility also offers a wide range of tools and therapies to help you recover from dual diagnosis, including evidence-based and alternative therapies. All treatment is conducted in our beautiful residential property where you will have access to all the amenities you need – a full kitchen, a game room with a pool table, an expansive patio for lounging and so much more.
The therapies that show the most success for treating dual diagnosis are:
Group
Therapy
Family
Therapy
Trauma
Therapy
Relapse
Prevention
Cognitive Behavioral
Therapy
Dialectical Behavioral
Therapy
12-Step
Programs
To be successful in treating dual diagnosis, you need a highly trained team of clinicians that understands the relationship between substance use and mental health. Huntington Beach Recovery Center offers a high level of care, along with around-the-clock monitoring and supervision. Contact our admissions team today.
