In the United States, as many as half of all substance abuse disorders are also accompanied by mental illness. [1] This means that screening for and treating those with a co-occurring condition is imperative for long-term sobriety and mental health. But just what conditions can dual diagnosis treatment centers CA help with?
What Is A Dual Diagnosis?
A dual diagnosis is a term used for someone who deals with substance use or abuse disorder while dealing with another DSM diagnosis. This is typically a mental health condition and can include (though not an exhaustive list) the following: [2]
- Anxiety and mood disorders
- Major depressive disorder
- Conduct disorders
- Schizophrenia
- Bipolar disorder
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Many people are often surprised to find that conditions like ADHD are considered mental health issues that can impact how substance misuse affects you overall. In fact, it’s quite common and makes a lot of sense. When you suffer from anxiety, attention deficit, or conduct disorders, your brain regulation may be off. You feel it, and you recognize the disequilibrium. This may make you turn to substances like alcohol or drugs to battle uncomfortable feelings and emotions.
According to 2018 data from The National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 9.2 million adults in the United States had a dual diagnosis of a substance use disorder and mental illness. [3]
Sometimes you may hear this be called diagnoses that are co-morbid or co-occurring. In many cases, it may not be obvious to get to the root of either. Many who suffer from substance misuse or addiction and a co-morbid mental health disorder have a hard time knowing which came first. Did they start abusing substances to battle the mental health disorder, or did their addiction change their brains and add mental health issues like anxiety or depression?
While there may never be a clear answer, you must know you can struggle with addiction and mental health issues simultaneously. Dual diagnosis treatment centers CA like Ocean Hills Recovery can help manage your recovery in both. In fact, research suggests it’s imperative to treat both your addiction and your mental health issues for full recovery and sobriety. [4]
Why Do Dual Diagnoses Exist?
As we’ve said—it’s hard to say why a mental health condition increases the risk of addiction or why addiction increases the risk of mental health issues. Research tells us that it does, though. It’s most likely because drugs and alcohol often work on the same parts of the brain that misfire if you have mental health concerns. The same parts of your brain that respond to stress and ‘reward’ feelings are affected similarly by mental health conditions and substances like drugs or alcohol.
Your genetics play a role in both your addiction propensity and your risk for mental health disorders. Family history can put you at a higher risk for mental health conditions like anxiety, depression, bipolar, and schizophrenia. Genetics also plays into addictive personality and addiction risk. If you have genetic predispositions toward both, you’re at much higher risk of a dual diagnosis.
What Conditions Do Dual Diagnosis Treatment Centers CA Help With?
All too often, treatment centers across the country will either deal with substance misuse and addiction OR mental illness. The problem is that co-morbidity exists and is more common than we may think. A mental health facility may not be as skilled in dealing with addiction. In contrast, not all addiction treatment centers are effective in dealing with mental health conditions.
That’s why it’s crucial to find a dual diagnosis treatment center CA facility. Dual diagnosis treatment centers CA are skilled in addressing not just your addiction but also your mental health. They know that if you’re part of a substance abuse treatment program that doesn’t also take your mental health into account during recovery, your success odds are not as strong.
Dual diagnosis treatment centers CA like Ocean Hills Recovery can offer you safe places for detox. You will also find effective 12-step practices that treat your body and mind and holistic approaches that will allow you to have a comprehensive recovery program. This means that we integrate 12-step programs with holistic practices to treat mental health conditions like anxiety, depression, bipolar, conduct disorders, and more. Balanced mental health combined with an effective plan for abstinence from substances is the goal. It can be the first step to your new life of sobriety.
Reach Out For Help Today from a Dual Diagnosis Treatment Center in CA
The last thing you want to do is be part of a traditional substance abuse treatment program that may fail because it doesn’t take your full mental health into account. You need to have your mental health struggles addressed effectively for your best chances of sobriety. That’s exactly what dual diagnosis treatment centers CA do.
If you are ready to take the first steps to address your substance use and your mental health for whole-body healing, we want you to contact us. You don’t have to do this by yourself. We are here for you.
Sources:
[1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16961418/
[2] https://www.samhsa.gov/medication-assisted-treatment/treatment/common-comorbidities
[3] https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/cbhsq-reports/NSDUHNationalFindingsReport2018/NSDUHNationalFindingsReport2018.pdf
[4] https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/add.14268
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