Is Dual Diagnosis Commonly Seen in Addiction Treatment Centers?
Is Dual Diagnosis Commonly Seen in Addiction Treatment Centers?
Dual diagnosis is when a patient is suffering from two illnesses at one time. It is important to know that one of the most common reasons people begin to abuse substances is because they’re experiencing symptoms of a mental illness, but they don’t know it. Dual diagnosis is most common among young people because this is often when symptoms of anxiety and depression begin to develop. Young people are typically embarrassed to discuss their strange feelings with anyone. However, they find that drugs or alcohol can bring them some ease and comfort that they weren’t able to find on their own. Of course. Dual diagnosis also happens to older people.
Mental Illness and Chemical Dependencies
Although young people are more at risk of becoming addicted, it can happen to anyone who is treating their mental illness with drugs or alcohol. If the individual begins drinking or using every time they’re experiencing symptoms of mental illness, they’re training their mind to crave these substances when the feelings come up. They eventually become dependent on the substances and no longer have the power of choice when they are going to drink or use.
What is a Dual Diagnosis?
One of the most common situations seen in rehab centers is that addicts suffer from a dual diagnosis, which means the person suffers from a mental illness as well as their addiction. It’s of the utmost importance that these two diseases are treated separately because the person’s mental illness symptoms will not always go away just because they get sober. There are some cases where a person’s addiction is the cause of their depression or anxiety, so these symptoms will go away once they go through detoxification and treatment for the addiction.
Treating Dual Diagnosis
Addicts should always work with an addiction specialist when they’re suffering from a dual diagnosis because there are some medications that they should not take. For example, an addict may suffer from anxiety, but if they begin to take Xanax, they may become addicted and end up back in their cycle of addiction. There are medications like Lexapro, which is a non-narcotic medication that’s meant to treat anxiety without the risk of becoming addicted.
Once the person completes treatment for dual diagnosis, they should continue to follow up with an addiction specialist to see if they are making progress. According to recent studies, more people relapse from an untreated mental illness than any other reason, so it’s important that their mental illness is taken care of when the person leaves the treatment center.
