You should visit a California dual diagnosis treatment center immediately if you sense an impending relapse. A relapse can occur for a variety of reasons, and while people like to make jokes about seasonal affective disorder, this can impact you negatively.
You might feel a significant shift in your mood as fall marks its beginning. While many people relish this dreamy season, it might be heart-sinking and dark for individuals struggling with an addiction disorder. It is the time when many of these individuals suffer from annual depression. This medical condition is a form of depressive disorder. SAD is becoming prevalent in California due to its less sunny weather in winter and fall. According to the latest survey, ten million people in California, USA suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). (2) The statistics explain how SAD is affecting those living in California.
How Can SAD Trigger a Relapse?
Many addiction professionals believe that SAD may pose risk depression for the people recovering from addiction. That means this affective disorder may trigger your depression when the season changes. You may even feel depression in the winter or fall when there is no or less sunlight. Studies have shown that when there is a lack of sunlight in fall and winter, it may cause changes in the body’s internal rhythms and body clocks. (2) SAD not only leads to depression but also increases the chances of relapse.
This is when you need California dual diagnosis treatment from the reputable Ocean Hills Recovery. Our specialized care center understands how co-occurring or dual diagnosis disorders can take a toll on the mental and emotional health of the individual in the addiction recovery phase.
If you are also experiencing winter blues common in Seasonal Affective Disorder, seeking professional help from the reliable California dual diagnosis center is the right way to get rid of the depression phase. Keep on reading to find out how dual diagnosis treatment may help you.
Symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder
There is no much difference in the symptoms of SAD and typical depression. From carbohydrate cravings, overeating to low energy and withdrawing socially, seasonal affective disorder mimics the same symptoms. As mentioned earlier, winters usually have a decline of sunlight that may disrupt the circadian rhythms of the body. It has an effect on the hormone, appetite, and mood.
SAD often causes overproduction of hormones such as melatonin (sleep regulation hormone). This makes you feel more lazy and lethargic. The recent report of NIH showed that people with this affective disorder have comparatively less serotonin. (3) That affects vitamin D levels in the body. This deficiency may lead to some significant clinical depression symptoms.
How SAD Leads to Relapse
When individuals with SAD try to self-medicate using alcohol and drugs to get rid of the symptoms, the chances of relapse increase.
Of course, the idea of self-medication does not work for everyone. In fact, it can worsen depression. When you try coping with SAD by taking drugs or sedatives, you contend all depression symptoms instead of fighting them. You feel mentally, emotionally, and physically drained. The temptation of taking drugs increases to feel disconnected and withdrawn.
California dual diagnosis, in this regard, plays a vital role in reducing the chances of relapse. SAD patients need to understand that it is a form of a co-occurring disorder and they need professional help.
Ocean Hills Recovery- California Dual Diagnosis Program
The dual diagnosis program from Ocean Hills Recovery helps individuals experiencing SAD symptoms defeat depression without having to go back to drugs. It further helps addicted individuals identify the symptoms of underlying psychiatric disorders that often go unnoticed.
The program is based on a Collaborative Recovery system to address the deep-rooted and problematic aspects of recovering individuals. The integrated approach embedded in the 12-step program of Ocean Hills is what distinguishes it from other recovery methods. The program has innovative treatments and therapies that ensure to provide a long-term solution to the problem. The professional therapists and psychiatrists assess patients for dual diagnosis disorders and suggest the most suitable treatment programs for them.
Thus, California dual diagnosis is without a doubt an excellent way to achieve the goal of sobriety. With its multiple dimensions, it addresses the issues of people suffering from Seasonal Affective disorder.
Look no further, and contact Ocean Hills Recovery center for a long-term solution to your SAD symptoms and enjoy the colors of all seasons. Give us a call today for help.
SOURCES:
(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3004726/
(2) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2717723/
(3) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4471964/
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