Often, individuals who struggle with addiction also deal with some form of underlying mental health disorder. These mental health disorders can be the cause of the substance use disorder, or they can be a result of the addiction. Either way, individuals with co-occurring disorders need comprehensive dual diagnosis addiction and counseling treatment to help them overcome their symptoms.
What Is a Co-Occurring Disorder?
Co-occurring disorders are any two conditions that feed into one another. Typically, this refers to mental health and substance use disorders. A mental health disorder can fuel an addiction through self-medication. Often, someone may begin using drugs to manage mental health symptoms.
Alternatively, some substances can lead to depressed moods, anxiety, and irritability. Depression and anxiety can eventually develop from addictions to these substances.
Co-occurring disorders are difficult to treat because both conditions require treatment at the same time. By only treating one, the other condition poses a significant risk for posing a relapse in the other. Dual diagnosis addiction treatment is the only way to treat both conditions effectively, with addiction counseling and mental health treatment.
How Dual Diagnosis Differs
Dual diagnosis addiction treatment programs specifically treat people with co-occurring disorders. Instead of individually addressing the addiction or mental illness, they treat both simultaneously. This occurs through a combination of mental health counseling and addiction treatment.
In these programs, rehab professionals help clients understand how their mental health and substance use disorders feed into each other. Then, they teach their clients healthy coping mechanisms that help them manage symptoms of mental health without relying on addictive substances. For example, rather than consuming alcohol to quell symptoms of anxiety, they may teach the client to exercise or meditate to calm themselves.
Additionally, understanding the complexities of a mental health disorder can help clients find ongoing treatment after they leave a dual diagnosis addiction treatment facility. Some mental health disorders require long-term therapy and medication. Addiction rehab facilities can help clients define their needs and find mental health practitioners to support them after treatment.
Counseling in Dual Diagnosis Addiction Treatment
There are many forms of therapy that counselors use in dual diagnosis addiction treatment. The most common form of therapy is individual counseling. In these sessions, therapists help clients understand their problems and causes. Although talk therapy, there are also other innovative techniques that counselors might use. Some of the most common include:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
- Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)
- Somatic therapy
A client will work directly with a therapist throughout dual diagnosis addiction treatment to help them determine which forms of therapy work best for them. In addiction treatment, a client may also participate in group therapy, family therapy, or holistic therapy.
Finding the Right Addiction and Counseling Center
If you or someone in your life needs dual diagnosis rehab for women, then it’s time to reach out to a trusted addiction treatment facility. Don’t let addiction and mental illness control your life. Take your first step toward a happier, healthier life with dual diagnosis addiction treatment today.
