What is Dual Diagnosis Rehab?
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, it is estimated that approximately fifty percent of people with mental illnesses also abuse drugs or alcohol. Alcohol is the most commonly abused drug, which is then followed by marijuana and cocaine. Prescription drugs such as opiates are also highly abused.
Some people who are dealing with the onsite of a mental illness, such as depression, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, self-medicate by using drugs or consuming alcohol. Although the symptoms of the mental illness may not be as noticeable when a person is using drugs or alcohol, the combination can be dangerous and will eventually lead to more complications in both a person’s mental and physical health.
A dual diagnosis rehab will help a person conquer their drug addiction while also treating their mental illness. This is extremely important because often the symptoms of withdrawal from a drug, or the symptoms from drug addiction itself, are similar to the symptoms of a mental illness. In order to properly treat each illness and ensure that a person has a safe and healthy detox a dual diagnosis treatment program may be necessary.
How a Dual Diagnosis Program Helps
This kind of rehab helps individuals who suffer from both mental health problems and addiction.
When a person begins abusing drugs or alcohol to help deal with the symptoms of a mental illness, they risk the chance of also forming another mental illness, which is known as addiction. Addiction causes a person to have uncontrollable drug seeking habits and drug use. Drug or alcohol addiction can lead to dependency which will cause a person to feel extremely sick without the drug in their system, and can lead to person losing all of their money and losing their freedom.
A dual diagnosis program helps by separating the drug addiction symptoms from the mental illness’ symptoms. They will then treat each illness on its own and provide a person with therapy and medication, if applicable, to help them get through the detox of their drug of choice. A dual diagnosis rehab will have all of the resources a person needs to help them with both of their brain diseases and help them conquer their drug addiction. A person that knows they had a mental illness before they became addicted to a drug should seek out help from a dual diagnosis rehab to ensure they have the right treatment for their drug addiction.
