Dual Diagnosis Drug Treatment

Dual diagnosis treatment has proven to reduce the relapse rate significantly in the drug addiction treatment field. In the past, many of the patients suffering relapse were doing so out of a need to deal with their untreated depression, anxiety or mood swings. In essence, they were self medicating and ending up in relapse from their drug or alcohol addiction.

Substance Abuse Treatment and Dual Diagnosis

Today a person checking in to a reputable drug or alcohol treatment program will undergo a thorough psychiatric evaluation. The goal of this evaluation is to either rule out or enable the doctor to treat the mental health problem. By finding a stabilizing influence from a psychiatric perspective, substane abuse treatment begins to make sense. The patient can focus on the substance abuse treatment being provided rather than being distracted by other mental health problems.

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Drug Rehab Programs Offer Increased Dual Diagnosis Treatment Services

It is encouraging that dual diagnosis treatment has gained widespread recognition as a special need area and that almost half of all drug rehab facilities across the country offer specialized dual diagnosis treatment programs for these people suffering from drug addiction and alcohol abuse. It is encouraging that the large majority of drug rehab facilities with dual diagnosis programs/groups offer various forms of counseling or therapy and that these drug rehab programs, overall, offer more services than drug rehab programs that do not offer dual diagnosis programs/groups. Nevertheless, it is of concern that many of these drug treatment programs lack the services required to meet the special needs of dual diagnosis clients; some of which are considered “critical components” of successful dual diagnosis treatment programs. Overall, approximately 35% of drug rehab centers with dual diagnosis treatment programs/groups did not offer prescription medications, 37.8% did not offer psychiatric or psychological assessment or diagnostic services, and 25% did not offer case management. Only a minority of the drug rehab centers with dual diagnosis programs/groups offered any transitional housing or employment assistance, HIV or domestic violence education, or health screening. Lack of these needed services may render dual diagnosis programs less effective.

Effectiveness of a Drug Rehab Center with Dual Diagnosis Treatment

The overall effectiveness of a drug rehab program with a dual diagnosis treatment program increases ten fold. One of the major factors when considering relapse is an untreated or poorly treated dual diagnosis. By providing effective dual diagnosis treatment services the client becomes more amenable to drug rehab services. You wind up with a more compliant client, more focused client and with enhances the overall treatment for others participating in drug rehab treatment. The key is being able to successfully integrate the dual diagnosis treatment services with the services being provided in the drug rehab program.

For additional information on dual diagnosis treatment or drug rehab programs you can review www.dual-diagnosis-treatment-center.com or www.recoveryconnection.org.

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Substance abuse often co-occurs with severe mental illness. Research shows that there is a 60% lifetime incidence of severe mental illness and co-occurring substance abuse (Dual Diagnosis). Another way of saying this is that 6 out of 10 individuals with a severe mental illness will have substance abuse problems some time during their life. Unfortunately, severe mental illness and co-occurring substance abuse is associated with a variety of negative outcomes including:

• Hospitalization
• Suicide
• Work/school problem
• Problems with relationships
• Non-compliance with treatment

Psychosocial approaches to dual diagnosis have been limited in their success. The majority of approaches are adopted from programs that address substance abuse problems without co-occurring mental illness. These approaches are yet to be proven for dually diagnosed individuals. However, the research literature does support the following:

• A Substance abuse problem is the rule not the exception

• Substance abuse treatment should be fully integrated into the dual diagnosis treatment for severe mental illness

• Motivational enhancement strategies should be utilized for dual diagnosis treatment

• Behavioral skills training is effective for individuals with a dual diagnosis problem

• 12-Step recovery is problematic for some individuals with severe mental illness

• Dual diagnosis treatment should be long term

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Alcohol Rehab Programs and Dual Diagnosis Treatment

Individuals who struggle with both mental illness and substance abuse problems face special challenges in alcohol rehabs. A quality alcohol rehabilitation program recognizes the unique challenges of dually diagnosed clients and offers dual diagnosis treatment in their alcohol rehab.

Dual Diagnosis Treatment Philosophy in a Alcohol Rehab Program

In years past, alcohol rehabs actually treated mental illness and substance abuse seperately. It would not be uncommon to see a patient enter a alcohol rehab for alcohol rehabilitation and then be transferred to a mental health center for dual diagnosis treatment. Today, the quality alcohol rehabs treat alcoholism and psychiatric disorders concurrently and with much better results.

Key Elements in an Alcohol Rehab Program for Dual Diagnosis Treatment

An alcohol rehabilitation program designed to treat dual diagnosis must have a psychiatrist that is trained in addiction medicine. In addition to the psychiatrist the staff in the alcohol treatment center must have a thorough understanding of mental health disorders and how to treat them. While alcohol rehabilitation can move along at a steady pace, dual diagnosis treatment is much more gradual. Most people who are admitted to an alcohol rehab program and are dually diagnosed will generally be able to follow the overall guidelines of the alcohol rehab program. If it becomes apparent they are too impaired from a mental health perspective, they may require transfer from the alcohol rehab with dual diagnosis treatment services to an actual psychiatric hospital.

For additional information relating to an effective dual diagnosis treatment center or quality alcohol rehabs, please go to www.dual-diagnosis-treatment-center.com or call the national alcohol rehabilitation helpline at 1-800-511-9225.

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