Dual Diagnosis

Dual Diagnosis

Dual-Diagnosis Treatment

If you have a dual diagnosis, you should be properly evaluated to address both mental health and addiction issues. Without receiving dual-diagnosis treatment, you will more than likely return to drug or alcohol use and your mental health problems will worsen. Get help today and stop the cycle of abuse. Recovery Connection is here to support you. Our services are free. Call 866.812.8231 and get help, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All calls are confidential.

What Is Dual Diagnosis?

Graph displaying the overlapping of mood disorder with drug addiction as dual diagnosis treatment.


The term “dual diagnosis” is used to describe the coexistence of a drug and/or alcohol addiction and psychiatric disorder. A person who has a mental health disorder such as depression, anxiety or bipolar, and also struggles with a substance abuse disorder is considered to be dually diagnosed.

A 1999 executive summary report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to Congress stated that 7 million to 10 million Americans have at least one mental disorder as well as an alcohol or drug use disorder [and] individuals experiencing these disorders simultaneously referred to as co-occurring disorders have particular difficulty seeking and receiving diagnostic and treatment services.

Are you covering up a mental health issue with substance abuse? Call Recovery Connection at 866-812-8231 for dual diagnosis treatment options. Stop self-medicating today!

To further add to the problem, research has demonstrated that unless both disorders are treated simultaneously, the mental health issue and the substance abuse will progress and as the report indicated, additional complications arise. Each disorder can be detrimental to the recovery of the other. Your health and happiness are limited when you struggle with a mental health disorder and a substance abuse problem. Dual-diagnosis treatment can address the drug and alcohol addiction, as well as the psychiatric disorder.

Oftentimes, a person uses drugs and/or alcohol to cope with a psychiatric disorder, such as bipolar disorder or panic attacks. Unknowingly, the user believes that the alcohol will ease the panic or that the cocaine will combat the depression. They believe that the momentary relief is the key to a new way of coping and functioning. But, it is clear that drug and alcohol addictions worsen mental health disorders. Addiction worsens the underlying problem and can render psychiatric medications ineffective.

Risks of Substance Abuse and Your Mental Health

In the presence of two problems like substance abuse and a mental health issue making an accurate diagnosis becomes difficult. The list below reveals diagnostic difficulties after drugs and alcohol are combined with mental health disorders.

Long-term, consistent drug and alcohol abuse can:

  • Initiate the development of a psychiatric problem
  • Cause an existing psychiatric problem to worsen
  • Create the re-emergence of a past psychiatric disorder
  • Create symptoms associated with a psychiatric disorder that is drug-induced
  • Mask psychiatric symptoms or psychiatric disorders

If the psychiatric disorder is the underlying cause of the substance addiction, it will still exist even after the person completes detox and is abstinent from all substances. Get with our addiction specialist to find out if you qualify for dual-diagnosis treatment.

If the patients presenting symptoms are from using drugs and/or alcohol, then the symptoms will slowly reduce after detox. Detox alone will not address the mental health disorder or the addictive behaviors, leaving the dually diagnosed person at great risk of an intense mental health episode and a substance relapse.

Help Choosing a Dual-Diagnosis Treatment Center

Imagine finding relief from both your addiction and mental health symptoms at the same time. Get your life back on track and don’t allow a dual diagnosis to rob you of happiness. Recovery Connection works with the top dual-diagnosis treatment centers in the country. Call us today at 866-812-8231 and take our assessment to see if you qualify for treatment.

Quality dual-diagnosis treatment centers should offer:

  • Medication management
  • Individual and group counseling
  • Family therapy
  • Relapse prevention
  • Educational lectures
  • Aftercare plan

What is a Dual Diagnosis Treatment Center?

dual diagnosis treatment centerDual diagnosis, also called co-occurring or comorbid disorders, is an approach used to effectively treat a mental health disorder in tandem with a substance addiction. A few examples of dual diagnosis are:

  • Depression and alcohol abuse
  • Psychosis existing with a cocaine addiction,
  • Bipolar disorder along with a heroin addiction.

How Common is Dual Diagnosis?

The National Alliance on Mental Illness reports:

  • One-third of people with mental illnesses and half of the people living with severe mental illnesses also have substance abuse problems.
  • One-third of all alcohol abusers have been diagnosed with a co-existing mental illness.
  • More than half of all drug abusers have been diagnosed with a co-existing mental health condition.
  • Co-occurring disorders affect 7 million adults in the US.
  • The federal government estimates that 90% of people with co-occurring disorders remain untreated.

Why Does a Dual Diagnosis Develop?

It’s difficult in most cases to determine which came first, the mental health issues or the addiction. A mental health condition can develop from someone using drugs or alcohol, which results in psychiatric symptoms. On the other hand, a mental health condition could have been pre-existing. This can lead to drug or alcohol abuse behavior because the person was seeking symptom relief. In either scenario, all addiction and mental health issues need to be treated for a successful recovery.

What Happens in a Dual Diagnosis Treatment Center?

An effective dual diagnosis treatment plan includes:

Detox: A medically supervised detox, where addiction specialists and medical staff monitor an individual while drugs and alcohol are carefully and slowly removed from the body, is a vital first stage of treatment.

Medications: Medications are typically prescribed to treat any remaining psychiatric symptoms once detox is completed. Also, certain prescribed medications can help people relieve withdrawal symptoms and aid recovery.

Therapy: Once a person is stabilized and not using illicit drugs or alcohol, group and individual therapies can be held throughout the treatment stay. Mental health and addiction issues are treated simultaneously.

Behavioral Management: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is provided to teach the coping skills needed to combat negative thoughts and actions. By learning to replace destructive patterns with positive behaviors, people in treatment gain insight into living without substances as coping mechanisms.

An example of this is how to cope with stress. Since stress is a large factor in work and family relationships, CBT teaches participants how to react to stress in healthy ways (exercise or meditation) rather than picking up a drink or a pill for relief.

Aftercare Following Dual Diagnosis Treatment

Due to the growing trend of co-occurring disorders found in people needing addiction treatment, the best facilities offer rehab programs to treat both mental health conditions and substance abuse. Aftercare post-treatment ensures that a patient’s recovery sticks. Outpatient rehab can be used as an aftercare tool once inpatient rehab is finished at a dual diagnosis treatment center. Both dual diagnosis treatment and aftercare services can help prevent relapse.

Some examples of relapse prevention measures include:

  • Sober living homes
  • Commitment to attending 12-step meetings
  • Drug and alcohol testing
  • Medications prescribed to relieve cravings.

Recovery Connection could be your gateway to finding a quality dual diagnosis treatment. Owned and operated by Lakeview Health, we have the resources and the knowledge to diagnose all mental disorders and treat them concurrently with a drug or alcohol addiction. The cycle of addiction can be broken.