Dual diagnosis refers to the presence of a co-occurring mental health disorder as well as an addiction. It happens more frequently than you think. Treating the chemical dependence without also addressing the co-occurring condition can result in relapse. Here’s what you need to know about dual diagnosis rehab.

Understanding the Connection Between Addiction and Mood Disorders

Female counselor and young woman at a table discussing dual diagnosis rehab.Anxiety disorders, depression, and other psychiatric conditions often go hand-in-hand with addiction. It’s not always possible to determine whether an addiction came first or may have resulted from the co-occurring disorder. What’s clear, however, is the close relationship that exists between mental illness and chemical dependence.

A case in point is the individual who experiences intrusive thoughts. Dulling those gets more comfortable after a few drinks. Eventually, this person may develop an alcohol use disorder. She or he believes that daily living is impossible without the drug.

Another example involves the person using cocaine. This stimulant leads to deep depressive episodes when a user comes down. Sometimes, use of the substance becomes the only way to keep the depression at bay. Someone might continue using merely to prevent the deep depressive episodes from recurring.

Dual Diagnosis Rehab Offers Hope When Other Programs Failed

Dealing with mental health disorders during rehab, and even during detox, can make the difference between sobriety and relapse. If you’ve tried rehab before and relapsed, you may not have gotten the help you needed. In fact, the need for dual diagnosis rehab signals the importance of a customized curriculum.

Possible treatments include:

  • Cognitive behavioral therapy that encourages you to identify dysfunctional patterns and then go about changing them
  • Dialectical behavior therapy, which makes it possible to embrace situations you can’t change by regulating your emotional responses
  • Trauma therapy to assist you with overcoming circumstances from the past that are still affecting your decisions today
  • Anger management lessons that make it possible to deal with strong emotions in healthy ways
  • Fitness therapy, which supports talk therapy’s goals to guide you to a more robust way of living
  • 12-step recovery program meetings to begin a habit of accountability and relapse prevention training
  • Mindfulness-based treatment that teaches you how to let go of stress and triggers by focusing on the here and now

An addiction specialist will prepare a set of treatments with your need for dual diagnosis rehab in mind. Concurrently, you receive help for co-occurring disorders. In some cases, this might require little more than talk therapy. In others, you may need pharmacological support.

It’s impossible to make this determination until you’ve had a chance to discuss your situation with an expert. In the process, you have the opportunity to explain what you’ve tried in the past. Of course, dual diagnosis rehab also benefits program participants who are making a first attempt at regaining sobriety.

Choosing the Right Treatment Option

Typically, you might select an inpatient setting where you immerse yourself in the therapeutic atmosphere of the facility. Another option is a partial hospitalization program, which lets you go home at night. Intensive outpatient treatment is a possibility for program participants with a milder addiction. That said, dual diagnosis rehab frequently takes place in a residential setting.

Doing so allows addiction specialists to assist you around the clock. Because you have access to help at any time, it’s easier to get your co-occurring disorder under control.

Why You Can’t Just Recover Alone at Home

It’s tempting to think that you can kick the habit yourself. Remember that addiction is a chronic disease that’s on par with asthma or diabetes. You wouldn’t dream of treating these conditions by yourself. The same should also be valid for chemical dependence.

Moreover, if you could just quit using, you wouldn’t have an addiction. By its very definition, you’re powerless to stop. Working with a facility that seamlessly transitions you from detox to rehab while providing dual diagnosis treatment works well. That facility is Beaches Recovery.

Here, therapists understand your needs and want to help you overcome your addiction. We routinely work with people who also deal with co-occurring disorders. Isn’t it time to heal? Call Beaches Recovery at 866.605.0532 today to find out how to start.