The effects of substance abuse can be wide ranging and impact various aspects of the lives of the addicted persons, especially visible in their behavior and temperament. Whether it is drug or alcohol, the substance affects the brain functioning in many ways and can result in mental illness. Scientists and doctors know the importance of treating addicts for both addictions and their mental illness simultaneously based on dual diagnosis. The doctor diagnoses that you have dual problems, then you must look for some dual diagnosis treatment centers in Georgia that can treat both conditions effectively.
The prevalence of dual diagnosis
Dual diagnosis means that a person suffering from substance use disorder has some other co-occurring illness. According to official statistics of 2017, 8.5 million people in the US had some other illness when suffering from addiction. Looking at the issue from another angle, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration confirmed that one out of four people who had some mental disorder had a history of addiction. For them, alcohol rehab Washington will not be useful as they need dual treatment for their mental health. They must look for some rehab center that offers dual diagnosis treatment.
A dual diagnosis treatment center treats people for mental illness and drug addictionby developing an appropriate treatment plan for individual patients. It is common among drug and alcohol addicts to go through depression, anxiety, and some mild personality disorder. They may also have PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder), schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and eating disorders.
How to know that you need dual diagnosis treatment
While the doctor evaluating your addiction condition can diagnose the problems and tell you if you have some co-occurring mental illness, you can understand on your own the problem by knowing some signs of it. The moment you start turning reclusive and distance yourself from your family and friends, it is a sign that the addiction has affected your mental health. You may also have difficulty controlling substance abuse, and doing your daily tasks might seem even more difficult. If you start consuming more and more of the substance because you need large doses to reach the threshold level that keeps moving upwards, there are reasons to worry. It shows that you have developed substance tolerance and cannot control the consumption of the substance.
Such is the dependence on a substance that these people start thinking that they need the substance to function normally.
Treatment options for dual diagnosis
Any drug rehab treatment is patient specific, and it is no different for dual diagnosis treatment. After examining the patient and gathering information about the addiction and medical history, the doctors at the rehab center will look into other behavioral and cognitive issues of patients to detect any co-occurring condition. Mostly, it might relate to some mental disorders that manifest in the form of changes in behavior and relationships. The evaluation outcome will help to detect the other problem areas resulting from the addition, and the doctor will draw up a treatment plan that addresses both issues simultaneously.
Besides the usual treatment program for addiction, the rehab center will follow some other treatment plan to include therapies for improving cognitive behavior or some trauma therapy to change the lifestyle or some medications for mental illness. Going ahead, the treatment plan would consist of family therapy so that patients receive the needed support from the family to continue with their sobriety after recovering from addiction.
Challenges for treatment for dual diagnosis
It is not easy to treat people with dual diagnoses because the people suffering from addiction are most reluctant to start treatment. They are often not ready to accept the fact that they have some problem. They are usually in the denial mode because of altered thoughts and perceptions caused by mental illness that turns away their attention from self-care, and they start neglecting themselves. Deep anxiety can alienate the addicted persons from their near and dear ones and drive them towards complete isolation. Depression can make you feel how useless your life is, and you lose all interest in living. It can lead to the development of suicidal tendencies. The problem can manifest in a more serious way that only increases the substance dependence, which you feel can help mitigate the other problems.
If you ever feel a lack of motivation and like staying isolated while hoping that drugs or alcohol will help you better cope with the problems you are facing, the sooner you enter a rehab center, the better it is for you. Ensure that the center has a good ambiance and amenities where you would feel comfortable and receive the treatment for dual diagnosis so that you recover from addiction and the other mental ailments resulting from it.
