Dual Diagnosis Treatment Centers

Although dual diagnosis treatment centers are relatively new in the broader field of addiction treatment, they have proved to be quite successful. Research studies have consistently shown that these centers are useful in helping people who are struggling with substance abuse as well as a mental health disorder.

What Does The Treatment Program/Process Address?

But what are dual diagnosis treatment centers and what do they do? To understand the role of these centers, it is important to know what dual diagnosis is. A dual diagnosis is also known as a co-occurring disorder. This term would be applied if you have been diagnosed with both a substance use disorder as well as a co-occurring mental health and medical disorder.

Either of these disorders can develop first. For instance, you may start drinking alcohol and abusing drugs while struggling with a mental health condition as a way to self-medicate your symptoms. Alternatively, your abuse of these substances could lead to the development of a co-occurring mental health disorder.

Today, dual diagnosis treatment centers blend the successful aspects of substance abuse treatment and mental health care. By so doing, they can potentially help you overcome both of these disorders - or at least manage their symptoms so that you do not suffer a relapse.

How Long Does It Take?

While trying to determine the duration of your stay in dual diagnosis treatment centers, it is essential to keep in mind that this form of treatment can be complicated. Once you receive a dual diagnosis, your treatment is support to begin immediately.

However, you can expect to spend anywhere between 90 days to 1 year or even longer in these centers. This is because there is a high likelihood that you could present any or all of the following challenges - which would have to be addressed in the course of your treatment:

• Medication options for these disorders tend to be limited due to the fact that you have a high risk of abusing medications
• You may be exposed to other environmental risk factors that could make treatment complicated
• You may have comorbid disorders that are more chronic than if you just had one disorder
• Your dual diagnoses could develop more severely than if you were just addicted

All these challenges could have a role to play in the approach that is used by the dual diagnosis treatment centers you choose. They will also affect your responses to treatment. For this reason, your recovery could turn out to be more complicated than you expected and last longer as a result.

How Much Does It Cost On Average?

Due to the complicated nature of dual diagnosis, you can be sure that spending time in dual diagnosis treatment centers could turn out to be expensive. In fact, you may end up spending anywhere from $200 to $1,000 for a day of treatment in such a center.

However, this should not discourage you from seeking help. Although this help will come at a high cost, it could be the only way that you are able to overcome your substance use disorder and any other co-occurring medical and mental health disorders that you have also been diagnosed with.

Luckily, most health care insurance plans are going to cover this form of treatment - either in part or in full. You may also be able to receive additional insurance coverage based on your working status, diagnosis, and income - and this could further reduce your cost of treatment.

That said, the cost will largely depend on the duration of the dual diagnosis treatment program, the type of center that you choose, the location of the center, the amenities provided, and any other extra services that you require.

What Are The Typical Day To Day Routines During Treatment?

Most dual diagnosis treatment centers will take an integrated approach in helping you overcome all the disorders that you have been diagnosed with. This means that you will receive ongoing medical care for both your diagnosed substance abuse and mental illness.

The services that you receive on a daily basis in such a program will also vary widely based on the step you are at in the course of treatment. The following are some of these steps that you would have to go through:

• Medically managed detoxification
• Inpatient rehabilitation
• Supportive housing
• Psychotherapy
• Medications
• Self-help groups
• Support groups
• Aftercare planning
• Relapse prevention
• Continuing care

How Successful Is It?

The success rates of dual diagnosis treatment centers has been well documented. In fact, these centers are the only type of recovery facility that can help you overcome both your substance abuse and addiction as well as manage your mental illness.

However, you can increase your chances of full recovery by ensuring that your care in such a center includes:

• A highly trained and experienced treatment team
• A supportive therapy approach to reinforce your self-esteem and build your self-confidence
• Acknowledgement of the essential importance of various psychotherapeutic medications like antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs
• Addiction education
• An inclusive and individualized treatment strategy that also brings your family and friends into the therapy sessions
• Group meetings
• Individual counseling
• Parallel treatment to address both your addiction and your mental health

Who Should Get This Type Of Treatment?

Dual diagnosis treatment centers are the right type of treatment if you have received a dual diagnosis. This essentially means that you must have met the basic criteria for a substance use disorder as well as a mental health disorder over and above your addiction.

You need to go for thorough assessment when you check into an addiction treatment center. Through this assessment, the therapist, counselor, psychologist, physician, or psychiatrist will check if you display the signs and symptoms of addiction and of a mental health disorder.

Apart from your addiction, for instance, you may also be diagnosed with the following disorders:

• Anxiety disorders, like obsessive compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder
• Eating disorders like anorexia, bulimia, or binge eating disorder
• Mood disorders like bipolar disorder and major depression
• Personality disorders, including antisocial disorders and borderline personality disorders

The important thing is to ensure that you receive a proper diagnosis. After that, you can choose from the many dual diagnosis treatment centers that exist to help in the treatment of both addiction and mental illness.

CITATIONS

https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000764.htm

https://ps.psychiatryonline.org/doi/abs/10.1176/ps.40.10.1031

https://www.dartmouth.edu/~eap/library/dualdiagnosis1.pdf

https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugs-brains-behavior-science-addiction/addiction-health

https://www.drugabuse.gov/sites/default/files/rrcomorbidity.pdf

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64178/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1448313/?_escaped_fragment_=po=64.1447

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22395768

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders/index.shtml

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd/index.shtml

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression/index.shtml