Dual Diagnosis Drug Treatment

Growing up in Little Rock, Arkansas I had alot of time on my hands. Time I chose to fill with drugs and alcohol. It seemed like the logical thing to do as all my friends were into it, plus it made me feel alot better. I always walked around tired, sluggish and angry. After a little cocaine and beer, I was good to go. Eventually I got out of control with the drugs and alcohol and realized I might have a drug problem. So I stopped…..and started…..and stopped and started. I realized I couldn’t quit and when I did I felt so bad. Really bad, down in the dumps bad. So I went to drug rehab.

They told me I had alcoholism. That did not really bother me because everybody I knew suffered from alcoholism. Then they told me I also suffered from drug addiction. Another miracle diagnosis. didn’t everybody suffer from a drug addiction. Then they hit me right between the eyes by telling me I suffered from depression too and that is why I continued to use drug. TO mask the depression. They told me they would provide me with dual diagnosis treatment. I had never heard of dual diagnosis treatment in Arkansas. Everyone I knew was just a drunk or dopehead.

Today, I feel great. There needs to be more dual diagnosis treatment in Arkansas, as I was just lucky to stumble upon it. I strongly suggest you find yourself a dual diagnosis drug rehab just in case you suffer from depression like me and don’t know it. That way you can be treated for both disorders in the dual diagnosis drug rehab. You might want to call the Arkansa dual diagnosis helpline at 1-800-511-9225 to find a program. It worked for me.

Bookmark to:

Dual diagnosis rehab will make the greatest difference in a persons recovery. In most cases a drug rehab will deal with a patients drug addiction or alcoholism and formulate a relapse prevention plan for the patient to follow. This type of treatment works extremely well when dealing with drug addiction or alcoholism, but when a psychiatric disorder is thrown into the picture is less than effective. A psychiatric disorder is an animal unto itself and drastically effects a person’s ability to benefit from rehab if left untreated.

When a psychiatric disorder needs to be addressed in drug rehab in addition to the drug addiction it is referred to as dual diagnosis. This co-existing presence of two disorders drastically changes the direction of treatment. If the drug rehab does not effectively address both the drug addiction and mental health disorder, relapse is sure to follow. A dual diagnosis rehab is a rehab that is designed to do just that. The staff is trained in how to best deal with mental health disorders in conjunction with alcoholism and drug addiction.

Dual diagnosis rehab is not the same as drug rehab. Don’t allow anyone to try and convince you of that. One undeniably requires the participation of a board certified psychiatrist, while the other does not. Today, almost 50% of admits into drug rehab suffer from a dual diagnosis and should go into a dual diagnosis rehab for treatment.

To locate a dual diagnosis rehab you can call the dual diagnosis treatment helpline at 1-800-511-9225.

Bookmark to:

Dual diagnosis treatment saved my life. For years I was in and out of drug rehab with each relapse worse than the one before. I seemed to be doing everything the therapists suggested, but still felt depressed after I completed rehab. I worked the steps, went to meetings, had a sponsor and still nothing changed. Finally after my last relapse, I went to a different rehab than before. This turned out to be life changing.

After a meeting with a psychiatrist that understood addiction, she told me that I was suffering from a depression that was not induced by drugs, but that I was using drugs to medicate my depression. Now that was a change. I went on medication for my depression, which I initially hated, but pretty soon my attitude began to change, my outlook was brighter and although nothing in my life had changed, I felt better.

Without a doctor that understood dual diagnosis treatment, I would still be using drugs today. I would strongly suggest to anyone looking for drug rehab treatment to find a drug rehab with a strong dual diagnosis treatment component. If you do not have a dual diagnosis, that is fine, but if you do

Bookmark to:

Drug Addiction Treatment

Drug addiction treatment comes in a variety of forms. Depending upon the individual’s drug of choice and the depth of addiction, different addiction treatment options are more appropriate. They can be residential, where the addict moves into a 24-hour clinic or care center focused on their recovery or non-residential in which the addict comes to group meetings or therapy on a regular basis.

Drug Detox

For each of these drug addiction treatment options, detoxification or drug detox is the first step. This involves the client or patient going through the physical symptoms of withdrawal that occur when they stop using. Symptoms vary according to the drug of choice, the length of drug addiction, and the amount used per dosage. Physical manifestations of the drug detox usually begin within hours of the last dose for the most severe drugs and can be quite intense. It is best to undergo drug detox from opiates or narcotics under the supervision of a medical doctor.

Types of Drug Addiction Treatment

Once detoxification is complete, any number of drug addiction treatment styles follows. Some involve substitution in which one drug takes the place of another under medical supervision, like methadone treatment for heroin addiction. Other addiction treatment methods prescribe to total abstinence of all drugs, others focus on finding the least harmful method of sustained drug use and still others are religious or spiritual in nature. They include:
• Methadone maintenance – Narcotic and especially heroin use is replaced with a prescription for methadone that is monitored by a doctor and gradually reduced over time until the user is free from addiction.
• 12-step addiction treatment – Both spiritual and non-spiritual versions are available free of charge and feature meetings in which fellow addicts in recovery meet and share their experiences and lend each other support.
• Harm reduction – Methadone maintenance and needle exchanges are forms of harm reduction in which addicts are encourage using more safely in order to minimize overdose and the spread of disease.
• Inpatient residential addiction treatment – Residential centers provide 24-hour medical care, continuous therapy and one-on-one counseling both short- and long-term and provide structure for addicts struggling to rebuild their lives without their substance of choice.
• Outpatient treatment – Non-residential centers provide a base of support and therapeutic options for those who require a less-structured form of drug treatment.

For immediate help you can call the national drug addiction helpline at 1-800-511-9225.

Bookmark to:

Dual Diagnosis Information

Dual diagnosis is a term that refers to individuals who have both a mental health disorder and substance use disorder. It may be used interchangeably with “co-occurring disorders” or “comorbidity.” According to the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), an estimated 10 million people in the United States will have a combination of at least one mental health and one substance abuse disorder in any twelve-month period. The number is even greater within the LGBT or gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. Substance abuse is the most common and significant co-occurring disorder among adults with such severe mental illnesses as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. It may also be observed in individuals with mental health diagnoses that include depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, or eating disorders. The term “substance abuse” refers to substance use disorders that range along a continuum from abuse to dependence or addiction.
.
Dual Diagnosis
Today it is clear that the co-occurrence of mental illness and substance abuse is common: about 50% of individuals with severe mental illnesses are affected by substance abuse. A dual diagnosis is also associated with a host of negative outcomes that may include higher rates of relapse, hospitalization, incarceration, violence, homelessness, and exposure to such serious infections as HIV and hepatitis. Dual diagnosis in the gay and lesbian community is at about 60 percent.

Children of alcohol or other drug-addicted parents are at increased risk for developing substance abuse and mental health problems. Disruptive behavior disorders coexist with adolescent substance abuse problems more often than not. Other special groups that may be affected include older adults and the LGBT with mood or anxiety disorders, especially those who are grieving numerous losses. They may drink or misuse or abuse prescription drugs to cope with their lowered quality of life. These factors can often complicate treatment of hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, and other health-related problems that affect the elderly as well.

Abuse of alcohol or other drugs may occur in persons with eating disorders in an effort to deal with guilt, shame, anxiety, or feelings of self-loathing as a result of bingeing and purging food. Many military veterans suffer from anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder and have histories of substance abuse. Services for veterans are woefully inadequate, adding to the chronic nature of dual diagnosis among them.

Dual Diagnosis Treatment for the LGBT

Dual diagnosis treatment for the LGBT population is no different than the heterosexual population with one exception. The dual diagnosis treatment center needs to be what we call “gay friendly” so in conjunction with addiction treatment and mental health treatment the iissues specific to the gay community can be addressed. There is nothing called gay dual diagnosis treatment, but there is dual diagnosis treament that takes into account the challenges of the LGBT.

To locate dual diagnosis treatment that can be effective, call the national dual diagnosis helpline at 1-800-511-9225. They will help you access dual diagnosis treatment for adults, adolescents, gay or older adults. The information is available at no cost and the dual diagnosis helpline is toll free.

Bookmark to:

Bipolar Treatment and Where to Get Help

Most individuals that suffer from bipolar disorder have one goal. That goal is to live a life that is as normal as can be. To get through today without having any emotional problems, to make it through the big meeting at work without having people wonder what is wrong with you and to simply be able to enjoy your daughter’s graduation are all additional goals that you may have. There is no 100 percent sure way of stopping these things from happening to you but, there are countless things you can learn to do to help you to treat bipolar disorder. To get to that point, can start by finding all of the information you need about your condition so that you can better understand what is happening to you and where to get the best bipolar treatment.

Bipolar Disorder: The Medical Side

Bipolar is a condition in which there are extremes in moods and life experiences. There is no doubt that bipolar is a health condition that is serious and disabling to those that it. You may have heard bipolar called Manic Depression or that a person suffering from it has a manic depressive condition. But, what scientists have come to learn is that manic style behavior is only one extreme of this condition. The other part of it is that of depression. Both of these conditions are vitally serious to your well being and even to your life span and must be treated. While doctors do not have a cause for bipolar, they are working on finding one.

If you don’t get treatment for bipolar disorder, your condition is likely to continue to worsen. There is no doubt that depression itself is a killer. Therefore, not getting bipolar treatment is simply not an option. But, the good news is that there are medications, treatments and therapies that can help to reduce the symptoms and help you to cope with your condition.
If you are suffering from a drug addiction along with a mental health disorder, we refer to that as a dual diagnosis and as such, your condition can be treated in a dual diagnosis treatment center. Dual diagnosis treatment includes treatment for drug addiction in conjunction with psychiatric treatment.

Bookmark to:

Causes of bipolar disorder

While the exact cause of bipolar disorder is not known, most scientists believe that bipolar disorder is likely caused by multiple factors that interact with each other to produce a chemical imbalance affecting certain parts of the brain. Bipolar disorder often runs in families, and studies suggest a genetic component to the illness. A stressful environment or negative life events may interact with an underlying genetic or biological vulnerability to produce the disorder. There are other possible “triggers” of bipolar episodes: the treatment of depression with an antidepressant medication may trigger a switch into mania, sleep deprivation may trigger mania, or hypothyroidism may produce depression or mood instability. It is important to note that bipolar episodes can and often do occur without any obvious trigger.

Bipolar disorder treatment

While there is no cure for bipolar disorder, there is bipolar disorder treatment. After an accurate diagnosis, most people can achieve an optimal level of wellness. Medication is an essential element of successful bipolar treatment. In addition, psychosocial therapies including cognitive-behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, family therapy, and psycho-education are important to help people understand the illness and to internalize skills to cope with the stresses that can trigger episodes. Changes in medications or doses may be necessary, as well as changes in treatment plans during different stages of the illness.

As stated, bipolar disorder is treatable. If the patient has a drug addiction in conjunction with psychiatric disorder, then a dual diagnosis treatment center provides the best opportunity to recover. To locate a dual diagnosis program you can call the national dual diagnosis helpline at 1-800-511-9225.

Bookmark to: