Dual Diagnosis Treatment
People who live with a substance use disorder often experience co-occurring mental health conditions that can impact their recovery. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 37.9% of people with substance use disorders have a mental health disorder – and 18.2% of people with a mental health disorder have a co-occurring addiction. Dual diagnosis treatment is the best way to treat both disorders simultaneously and can help you achieve a lasting and worthwhile recovery.
Understanding Co-Occurring Disorders
In addiction treatment, co-occurring disorders are the rule – not the exception. Mental health issues and substance use problems are thoroughly interwoven, and many people who are starting the path to addiction recovery may not even be aware of their co-occurring mental health condition.
A co-occurring mental health disorder can happen in one of two ways:
- Addiction leads to the development of mental health symptoms
- The experience of mental health problems can lead people into addiction
The first of these two pathways is known as a “substance-induced” mental health disorder. People who develop an addiction to alcohol, for instance, can begin to lose the motivation to keep up with their daily tasks, begin to feel lonely and isolate themselves, and experience intense bouts of sadness or grief. If these symptoms continue for extended periods, they can become signs of clinical depression, often requiring more intensive intervention than alcohol treatment alone.
The second pathway is known as the “self-medication hypothesis”. A person living with an anxiety disorder may turn to drug use as a means of calming themselves down, reducing their anxiety symptoms, or improving their sleep quality. Yet while this may provide some short-term benefit, it nearly always leads to worse mental health outcomes in the long-term, and the development of a substance use disorder as well.
These pathways extend far beyond anxiety and depression and can result in any number of mental health diagnoses. And while these two pathways make up the majority of co-occurring disorders, many people struggling with addiction are unaware of their mental health problems. Drugs and alcohol can often mask mental health symptoms, and people may only begin to experience them for the first time when they achieve sobriety for the first time.
Common Co-Occurring Disorders
Simply defined, a co-occurring disorder is any mental health disorder that happens alongside an addiction. But there are a few disorders that show up in addiction treatment more than others, including:
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Generalized anxiety disorder
- Panic disorder
- Major depressive disorder
- Bipolar disorder
- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, people with these disorders are at much higher risk for developing substance use problems and can benefit from finding care at dual diagnosis treatment facilities.
Why Dual Diagnosis Treatment is Important
If your mental health disorder goes untreated when you take the first steps towards recovery, there is a substantially higher risk that you can experience relapse, drop out of treatment early, or simply not experience all the gifts that recovery has to offer. Getting sober only to find yourself dealing with a host of negative mental health symptoms can be disheartening – and many people simply choose to return to active addiction rather than live with their symptoms.
But there is a better way. At TN Detox Center, our dual diagnosis treatment facilities treat both your mental health symptoms and your addiction simultaneously, with a team of trained mental health professionals who know the ins and outs of both disorders.
Fully integrated dual diagnosis treatment is considered the best clinical practice for people with co-occurring disorders by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the government institute charged with improving the quality of addiction treatment and rehabilitation. Even if you don’t think you have a co-occurring disorder, starting your care at a dual diagnosis treatment center ensures you have every tool available to help you achieve your goal of recovery, and live a happier and healthier life in sobriety.
What to Expect During Dual Diagnosis Treatment
At TN Detox Center, we’ve strived to build the best dual diagnosis treatment center in Tennessee. Our comprehensive approach to treating both addiction and mental health simultaneously takes place across multiple stages, throughout different levels of care, and through your entire treatment experience. When you start dual diagnosis treatment, you can expect:
A Thorough and Detailed Evaluation
The first step in any dual diagnosis treatment program is to accurately assess and diagnose any mental health disorders that may be present. This evaluation process typically begins during medical detox, but as you break through the stages of withdrawal and into an inpatient rehab facility, our team will regularly monitor and assess any new mental health symptoms that may be causing you stress or discomfort.
Personalized Mental Health Treatment Plans
If our team determines that you may have a mental health diagnosis, the next step is building a customized treatment plan designed specifically to help you overcome your challenges. What this plan includes is highly variable, depending on the disorder you’ve been diagnosed with, your personal preferences, and how your mental health treatment plan may interfere with your addiction treatment goals.
But in general, these plans can include methods such as:
- Targeted behavioral therapies to treat your specific disorder
- Meeting with a psychiatrist for new prescriptions and medication management
- Specialized support groups for mental health challenges
- Integrating evidence-based mental health treatment into your addiction treatment curriculum
This careful customization ensures that each client gets the exact care they need, when they need it most.
Ongoing Support and Monitoring
The course of recovery is paved with challenges, successes, setbacks, and opportunities. Our team monitors your progress in recovery from the day you arrive, to the day you discharge and beyond, all to make sure that your changing needs are met with the support you need to achieve recovery.
Start Dual Diagnosis Treatment in Nashville Today
When you’re looking for the best dual diagnosis treatment center to suit your needs, TN Detox Center is here to help. Contact our team today by calling 615-488-5311 or by filling out our confidential online contact form for a free, no-obligation consultation. Starting the path to recovery can be hard – but you can break free from addiction and achieve mental health recovery all under one roof. All you need to do is make the call.
