Dual Diagnosis Drug Treatment

Alcoholism and metal health researchers have known for quite some time that alcoholism and depression tend to occur together and that both disorders may run in families. Indeed, a family history of either alcoholism or depression puts an individual at increased risk for developing either illness.

Important Facts about Alcohol Abuse and Depression
The following list represents some key facts that researchers have uncovered regarding the relationship between alcoholism and depression:

• Alcoholism and depression are frequently associated, leading to a high potential for alcohol-antidepressant interactions.
• The use of alcohol and drugs can complicate the diagnosis and treatment of depression.
• Most people with depression do not seek dual diagnosis treatment, although the great majority of individuals, even those whose depression is extremely severe, can be helped with professional dual diagnosis treatment.
• Frequently, the reasons for depression are not clear. That is, there may not be just one “cause,” but a variety of contributing factors that accumulate over time and make people feel defeated, helpless, demoralized, hopeless, and depressed.
• Alcohol triggers depressive symptoms, increasing both their frequency and severity.
• Psychotherapy alone is not recommended as the only treatment for severe depression or for bipolar (manic-depressive) illness.

Alcoholism and Depression: Dual Diagnosis Help

Mental heath researchers have discovered the fact that some of the dynamics that are involved in producing the symptoms of reduced appetite, poor sleep, low mood, and anxiety that are characteristic of depression are also affected by alcohol. The following represents some of the major facts about the symptoms of alcoholism and depression:

• Among alcoholics entering alcohol treatment, approximately two-thirds of them have symptoms that resemble anxiety disorders.
• Approximately 5 to 10 per cent of individuals with depression also have symptoms of alcohol abuse or alcoholism.
• Since symptoms of depression are likely to develop during the course of alcoholism, some patients with mood disorders may increase their drinking when undergoing a mood change, fulfilling criteria for secondary alcoholism.
• The symptoms of depression in alcoholics are significantly reduced after three to four weeks of sobriety.
• If a drinker has never experienced alcohol problems, he or she will tend to not have symptoms of depression.
• Since symptoms of depression associated with alcohol are the most sever when a person first stops drinking, recovering alcoholics with a history of depression should be carefully monitored during the entire alcohol withdrawal process and especially during its early stages.
• The strongest relationship between alcoholism and severe anxiety takes place in the context of alcohol withdrawal.
• Up to 40 per cent of individuals who drink excessively have symptoms that resemble depression.
• When depressive symptoms are secondary to alcoholism, they are likely to disappear within a few days or weeks of abstinence, as the alcohol withdrawal symptoms decrease.

Alcoholism Treatment Centers and Depression Treatment

Regrettably, many individuals, including health practitioners, tend to perceive alcoholism and depression as separate problems when in fact they are associated with one another. Consequently, the positive relation between alcohol abuse or alcoholism and depression argues strongly for a comprehensive approach to treatment. Dual diagnosis treatment.

This means not only paying close attention to the “drinking problem” but also taking into consideration the treatment of depression - which can require anti-depressant medications or psychotherapy. It almost goes without saying that this type of extensive dual diagnosis treatment approach will help ensure a more appropriate and effective outcome for the patient.

According to many researchers and mental health practitioners the clinical assessment of current and past alcohol abuse and alcohol-related disorders should be established as a routine part of all medical or psychiatric evaluations.

Moreover, all depressed patients should be frequently asked about their alcohol and drug use throughout the course of their dual diagnosis treatment and advised to abstain from drug and alcohol abuse. In sum, when alcoholism or alcohol abuse occurs with depression, both the substance abuse and the mood disorder require immediate and professional treatment. This is referred to as dual diagnosis treatment.

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As we all know, dual diagnosis is the co existance of a drug addiction or alcoholism in conjunction with a psychiatric disorder; depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder or PTSD. While dual diagnosis treatment is provided in New Jersey drug rehabs, Virginia addiction treatment centers and Maryland addiction treatment programs, we believe Florida drug rehabs provide the best dual diagnosis treatment.

Florida drug rehab programs seem to have developed systems that effectively treat the dual disorder in a manner that promotes effective long term healing of the individual. While addiction treatment centers in Maryland, New Jersey and Virginia seem to provide adequate dual diagnosis treatment, addiction treatment centers in Florida seem to have become more creative with their physical environment, clinical services and medical detox needs of the patients.

You may find it difficult to locate the best dual diagnosis treatment center for you. It is reccomended to call a dual diagnosis helpline or addiction helpline where you can receive suggestions based upon your ndividual needs. Addiction helplines are open 24 hours a day, every day, so you can call any time. One such dual diagnosis helpline or addiction helpline is 1-800-511-9925.

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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.

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Common characteristics of Dual Diagnosis or Co-Occurring Disorders

According to experts in the field, a typical person with dual diagnosis or co-occurring disorder is likely to have the following characteristics and experiences:
• May be alienated and lack support from family and friends
• Won’t cooperate with their health care providers
• Is very emotional
• Is likely to have severe psychiatric symptoms
• May be homeless or moving frequently from one place of residence to another
• Is likely to relapse
• May be hospitalized or taken to accident and emergency departments reasonably often.
Issues for people with dual diagnosis or co-occurring disorders and their families

The lack of professional knowledge about dual diagnosis can be frustrating for those affected and their families. Common experiences may include:
• Health care providers may blame the client for being difficult and unresponsive to dual diagnosis treatment, rather than questioning whether the health care system is failing to provide effective treatments and support for people with dual diagnoses.
• If a dual diagnosis client first seeks treatment for drug abuse, the drug and alcohol workers may consider their mental illness as a secondary issue or side effect. Similarly, if they first seek treatment for their mental illness, then the mental health professionals may also consider their drug abuse as a secondary issue or side effect. The two problems are often not seen as interdependent and equally important.
• Specialist and early intervention treatments are often not available.
• Health care professionals may not involve the family in dual diagnosis treatment, even though the family is frequently much more familiar with the problems and experiences of the person with dual diagnosis.
The future of dual diagnosis treatment or co-occurring disorder treatment

Alcohol and drug services and mental health services are developing ways in which to respond to people with a dual diagnosis. Integrated service delivery and collaborative dual diagnosis treatment is becoming core business for most services.

Where in the past these disorders were treated separately, drug rehabs and dual diagnosis treatment programs now treat both disorders concurrently and are seeing much better results. Drug rehabs have made great strides in being able to correctly diagnose and integrate effective psychiatric care into the drug rehabs themselves. To locate drug rehabs that have proven to be effective in dual diagnosis treatment, please call the national dual diagnosis treatment helpline at 1-800-511-9225.

Things to remember
• A person with dual diagnosis is someone who has both a mental illness and a substance use problem.
• In many cases, it is hard to tell which problem came first; perhaps the mental illness prompted the person to abuse drugs, or else their drug problem pre-dated their mental illness.

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Co-Occurring Disorder Treatment

Individual’s with drug addiction often use alcohol to medicate themselves. Often one or both of these problems are improperly treated or given the wrong diagnosis. Many people who are suffering from alcoholism or drug addiction have some form of diagnosed or undiagnosed psychiatric disorder. They are, in most cases, considered to be self-medicating their disorder with drugs and or alcohol. Having a dual diagnosis, co-occurring disorder is very significant to successful alcoholism treatment and drug addiction rehab. Unless the disorder is properly diagnosed and addressed, it will always be one of the primary reasons someone cannot maintain long term recovery from their drug addiction.

It is often difficult to know whether the mental illness or drug abuse problem occurred first. Someone with a psychiatric problem may drink or use drugs in an attempt to feel calmer, more energetic or cheerful. Doctors call this self-medication. Frequent self-medication may lead a person to a drug addiction. On the other hand, a person whose drug addiction problem has become severe may develop symptoms of a psychiatric disorder, including depression, rage, hallucinations, delusions or attempts at suicide.

Co-Occurring Disorder Treatment and Drug Addiction

Although dual diagnosis treatment or co-occurring disorder treatment has only been recognized in recent years, dual diagnosis is pervasive. It has been estimated that 37 percent of alcohol abusers and 53 percent of drug abusers also have at least one serious mental illness. Conversely, it has been estimated that 29 percent of all people diagnosed as mentally ill abuse either alcohol or drugs.*

Many suffering from drug addiction and mood disorders are a constant companion. Among cocaine abusers, for example, depressive disorders are the most common examples when it comes to dual diagnosis, co-occurring conditions. The relationship between psychiatric problems and drug abuse in these patients is often complex and interconnected: Drug abuse patients may develop depression as a result of the physical and psychological suffering associated with their drug use, and patients suffering from mood disorders may become drug dependent in attempts to self-medicate. For patients suffering from both drug abuse and mood disorders, the conditions once seemed impossible to untangle, but recent NIDA research suggests that treatment for the mood disorder alone also can have a positive effect on drug addiction rehab.

People with a mental illness are three to six times more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol than people without a mental illness. However, some mental illnesses occur more frequently than others. The most common are:
• depressive disorders, such as depression and bipolar disorder;
• anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and other phobias; and
• other psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia and personality disorders.
One NIDA-supported study found that drug use declined among teenage drug dependence patients being treated with a medication for bipolar disorder, which is characterized by alternating periods of depression. In a related study, chronic opiate-dependent adults reported less drug abuse when they were treated with the antidepressant imipramine for co-morbid depression. There are drug addiction rehab programs which do a good job of dual diagnosis treatment.

Dual Diagnosis Helpline

If you are looking for Co-Occurring Disorder Treatment, dual diagnosis treatment or drug addiction rehab, you can call the national dual diagnosis helpline at 1-800-511-9225 and those on the helpline will help you to locate a rehab that can make a difference in your life. Call the helpline NOW!

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For many years I was able to use drugs successfully. No major problems, as a matter of fact the cocaine made me feel pretty good. It gave me a lot of energy that I lacked most of the time. Unfortunately it turned into cocaine addiction and I ended up in rehab. While in drug rehab and after detox, I seemed to get more depressed than most of the patients. They seemed to be feeling better and I seemed to be feeling worse.

After a few more days in treatment, I went to see the psychiatrist in the drug rehab and he diagnosed me with depression. He explained to me that one of the reasons I felt better with the cocaine is that it was a way to medicate the depression. I began depression treatment in conjunction with my addiction treatment. The depression treatment consisted of medication therapy, in my case Paxil, and meetings with my psychiatrist and therapist. I came to understand that the treatment for depression along with drug rehab was referred to as dual diagnosis. Truthfully, I was relieved to know that my problem had a solution.

If you are looking for depression treatment, dual diagnosis treatment or drug rehab you can call the national addiction helpline at 1-800-511-9225.

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