What is dual diagnosis treatment? The term dual diagnosis refers to those with co-occurring mental health and drug addiction disorders. Dual diagnosis treatment for substance abuse and mental health disorders requires a recovery plan that takes both issues into account. A dual diagnosis treatment center in PA provides comprehensive addiction treatment that treats both the mental and physical symptoms of your drug addiction.
What Is A Dual Diagnosis Treatment Program in PA?
In order to make this decision easier, it’s a good idea to learn more about your condition. In order to decide if a program works for you, learn what is dual diagnosis treatment beforehand.
If you have a mental illness along with a substance abuse disorder, a dual diagnosis treatment program in PA is just what you need to recover and succeed. Prior to the 1990s, those with mental health issues, such as anxiety, delusional behavior or depression, received separate treatment. In order to treat these conditions, clients had to first attain sobriety. Unfortunately, putting mental disorders at the end of the treatment cycle didn’t work very well.
Causes of Dual Diagnosis Disorders
To understand what is dual diagnosis treatment, you need to understand the underlying causes. Both substance abuse disorders and mental illness have a biological component. During addiction, the brain becomes used to the presence of substances and adapts. Similarly, mental illness is caused by chemical imbalances in the brain. Substance abuse can exacerbate or cause mental illness, just as mental illness can lead people to cope with substance abuse.
Dual Diagnoses Treatment Programs
A dual diagnosis treatment center offers a multitude of addiction therapy programs and substance abuse treatment programs in PA to treat the underlying mental health conditions contributing to your drug addiction, in addition to your physical symptoms. You will learn valuable coping skills to avoid relapse when faced with trauma. Substance abuse treatment programs and addiction therapy programs in PA include:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy Program
- Evidence-Based Therapy Program
- 12-Step Program
- Drug and Alcohol Detox Program
- Inpatient Rehab Center
- Outpatient Rehab Center
For clients who have a substance abuse disorder and a mental illness, therapists may have a hard time figuring out which one causes different symptoms. Dual diagnosis treatment takes a holistic approach that targets both conditions, so you can achieve a full recovery.
With the complication of addiction, dual diagnosis patients have a greater chance of a relapse. That’s why it’s important to choose a center that combines substance abuse therapy and mental health treatment programs.
The Link Between Addiction and Mental Health Disorders
What is dual diagnosis treatment able to treat? Those suffering from bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety may turn to alcohol or drugs to relieve their symptoms. Facilities that have dual diagnosis treatment centers need to have psychiatric staff and the appropriate equipment. If you use drugs or alcohol to calm down or self-medicate, you may receive a dual diagnosis.
This treatment concentrates not only on your drinking or drug habit but also the social phobias, panic attacks, or other issues that trigger substance abuse. Also, you find a center that specializes in dual diagnoses.
Using Drugs or Alcohol to Stay Focused
Many people have a hard time concentrating without drugs. Choosing the right treatment program can help you stop relying on drugs and alcohol as a crutch. For lapses of concentration, there are medical and psychiatric remedies that work much better than self-diagnosis. Therefore, it’s important to get the right medical care as well as substance abuse therapy.
You may have ADHD, a process addiction, or another condition that impacts your ability to concentrate. Let professional therapists teach you the coping skills you need to break free of drug and alcohol dependence.

Originally Posted: https://www.crestviewrecovery.com/about-crestview-recovery-center/dual-diagnosis-treatment-center-in-oregon/mental-health-disorder/
Benefits of Dual Diagnosis Treatment
Addressing related conditions helps you overcome behavior and mood disorders without using drugs.
Benefits of dual diagnosis treatment include:
- A better understanding of a health condition
- Normalization of your mental health disorder
- Coping skills that help you regulate your behavior
- The support of peers going through similar situations
What is dual diagnosis treatment? It’s the answer to the pain and anxiety felt by those living with untreated mental health disorders.