How Dual Diagnosis Treatment Can Help Overcome Addiction and Mental Health Challenges Simultaneously

In this article, we’ll see how dual diagnosis treatment can aid in overcoming addictions and mental health issues.

What Is a Dual Diagnosis?

Before we head over to other details and how treatments like TMS depression and ketamine therapies can help overcome these problems, let’s know what a dual diagnosis is first. In summary, a Dual Diagnosis is when substance abuse and mental health disorders co-occur.

Dual diagnosis is also known as co-occurring disorders, and one of the two halves tends to come in first before the other.

What Are The Symptoms of Dual Diagnosed Disorders?

The signs and symptoms of dual diagnosis vary from person to person as it depends on the mental illness and the addiction. For example, an alcoholic with bipolar disorders may show different symptoms compared to an opiate-addicted depression sufferer. 

Here is a more generalized list of the signs and symptoms of dual-diagnosed disorders:

• Intense panic attacks, depression, and anxiety episodes when not under the effects of alcohol or drugs
• Mood swings - can switch between rage and joy erratically
• Reckless behavior such as impulsive shopping and careless driving
• Irritability
• Inability to maintain both jobs and relationships
• Concentration problems and experiences delusions
• Bad sleeping patterns and poor appetite

There are plenty more symptoms of dual-diagnosed disorders. If any of these shows up to your loved one, they require immediate help before it escalates.

Risk Factors That Contribute to Dual Diagnosis

Two risk factors contribute to the development of a dual-diagnosis disorder, the risk factors include the following:

• Family Genetics: Mental health issues and substance abuse can be hereditary traits. If these disorders happen to run in the family. It’s revealed through research that genes from either one side or both sides of the family could give way to one of the two disorders or even both. 
• Growing Environment: The environment where you are raised or currently staying also plays a role in the development of dual-diagnosis disorders. Stress and traumatic events can be the trigger to developing a substance abuse or mental health disorder.

How to Support People With Dual Diagnosis?

Patients suffering from dual diagnosis tend to face a lot of stigma and negativity, but in truth, they need the right support as a foundation for recovery. If you know a loved one or a friend suffers from this condition, you’ll need to offer them support to help them make it through a difficult time. 

Here are a few ways you can offer support to dual-diagnosis sufferers:

• Learn: Discover information about the symptoms and potential treatment for dual diagnosis. Learning what it is will help you understand your loved one or friend and know what they are going through.
• Be available for them: Dual-diagnosis patients need a shoulder to lean on or an ear to hear them out. Let the patient know that you are here for them and by being available as support, you can give them encouragement to go through their treatment.
• Be patient with the sufferer: Know well that recovery from dual diagnosis takes a lot of time, commitment, and courage and is a long process. Relapses are a possibility and are a normal part of the journey to recovery.

How Can Dual Diagnosis Treatment End Addiction and Mental Health Problems?

When treating both mental health disorders and substance addiction, dual diagnosis treatment is your best choice. Forming an effective recovery plan for the patient involves knowing the addiction and the mental health problem. That way, the doctors can make a treatment plan that’s tailor-made for their patients. 

Here’s how dual diagnosis treatment can end addiction and mental health problems:

1. Heightens the Patient’s Quality of Life

Since dual diagnosis treatment deals with both mental health and addiction symptoms; patients get a huge upgrade in their quality of life. Often, patients would receive the appropriate treatment inside centers or clinics that specialize in handling these situations. Sooner or later, these patients will be freed from the clutches of drug addiction and depression or bipolar disorders.

2. Lowers Chances of Relapsing

Dual-diagnosis treatments also assist patients in realizing the link between depression and addiction. By addressing both disorders, patients are likely to stay on track to recovery, minimizing the chances of relapsing.

3. Better Motivation Levels

Dual-diagnosis treatments have a very elaborate and comprehensive nature. No detail is left out when the treatment takes place resulting in happier, motivated, and addiction-free patients. On top of that, dual-diagnosis treatments also help patients with low self-esteem or hopelessness.

4. Effective Treatment for Long-Term Recovery

Dual-diagnosis symptoms, if left unwatched can be very devastating to the patient’s well-being. The good news is that the treatments made for dual diagnosis are aplenty and effective. Ranging from psychotherapy to medication management, all of them are made to ensure the patient’s recovery.

Is Treatment for Patients With Dual Diagnosis All the Same

Treatment for dual diagnosis will vary from patient to patient. The same treatment isn’t going to apply to everyone as it is affected by four key factors:

• The severity of your dual diagnosis
• The underlying cause of it
• Your response to treatment methods
• Presence of an outside support system

Regardless of the treatment utilized on you, dual diagnosis treatment should last for several months. It will also include short periods of in-patient treatment that’s immediately followed up by another bunch of months to reprogram your mind. The time used here will be dedicated for use in substance detox, helping the patient to develop better coping skills and to maintain mental health in the long run.

The Bottom Line About Dual Diagnosis Treatments

Dual Diagnosis is a debilitating condition that’s a product of both mental health problems and substance abuse. If left unwatched, it can devastate an individual’s life. Despite how grave the condition can get, it’s still possible to remedy dual diagnosis. What the patient needs is tons of psychological support and the appropriate treatment and monitoring to guarantee their journey to recovery.