Self medication is a real issue for millions of Americans. When it comes to dual diagnosis issues, of a substance use and mental health disorder, many people turn to self medication as a means of coping on their own, most often through more substance use. This couldn’t be more dangerous. Not only can self medication increase the complications of addiction– it can also make an additional mental illness much more severe.
In addiction recovery, dual diagnosis treatment is defined as a recovery method that “blends the most successful aspects of mental health care and substance abuse treatment.” Dual diagnosis treatment provides holistic care for clients who are battling addiction and another mental illness– sometimes an illness that was a direct result of or contributing factor of addiction. Oftentimes, a mental health diagnosis like depression, anxiety, ADHD, bipolar, and more was present long before addiction, but went undiagnosed or untreated, inspiring a deep need to cope with unmanageable feelings.
The relatively new entry of dual diagnosis treatment in the addiction recovery space speaks to its importance. Previously, if a client came to an addiction recovery center with other mental illnesses, there was little that could be done to help with the additional mental illness. Even if the best treatment plan was put in place for the individual, whether or not they recovered wasn’t a sure bet. It depended on the severity of and complications surrounding the additional mental illness. Would the client be able to cope in a normal group setting? Would the rules and regulations of the addiction treatment center be feasible for him or her? The answers were often up in the air. Likewise, if a patient were to report to a mental health facility and was also addicted, many times they’d be sent away and told to treat their addiction before seeking help for another mental illness.
By combining the best practices from the medical and counseling worlds, dual diagnosis treatment offers a solution to this conundrum. Moreover, quality dual diagnosis treatment options, like the ones in place at Thrive Treatment℠, work wonders not just in treating addiction or another mental illness with medicine, but in really diving deep to untangle what’s going on below the surface.
Dual diagnosis treatment matters because addiction is much more than simply craving a substance. As The Big Book says, addiction is spiritual, mental, and physical. In the same vein, treatment has to be more than simply stopping cravings. It’s got to be able to get to the root of the issue.
Thrive Treatment℠ is a premier outpatient addiction treatment center in Santa Monica, California. We offer advanced dual diagnosis treatment options for clients dealing with more than one mental illness. By combining state of the art research with quality counseling and brilliant medical practitioners, we make addiction a thing of the past. Call us at (888) 975-8474 to see how we can help you today.
