Dual Diagnosis
What is Dual Diagnosis?
Dual diagnosis is also called co-occurring disorder. Basically, it happens when a person suffers from both an addiction and a psychological issue. For example, many people have both alcoholism and an anxiety disorder. This is called a dual diagnosis or co-occurring disorder. Other examples are an addiction plus depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and bipolar disorder (manic-depression).
Why is Dual Diagnosis important to identify and treat?
The reason that dual diagnosis is so important is because you need to be evaluated and treated for both the addiction and the psychological problem in order to have the best chance at sobriety. If, let’s say, you are treated only for the alcoholism but not the anxiety, what is going to happen when you leave treatment? Naturally, the anxiety is going to continue to cause you problems and you are much more likely to try to “medicate it” by starting to drink again. The same is true of many of the psychological issues that often co-occur with addiction. The latest studies have shown that the most successful treatment happens when both the addiction and the co-occurring psychological issues are addressed together.
Oftentimes, it is difficult to tell which came first: the addiction, or the psychological condition. Did the drinking cause me major problems in my life, leading to depression? Or was it that I was depressed and I started to drink in order to “cope” with my problems? Our staff at Affirmations are experienced in being able to get to the root of these issues and provide real solutions.
How do I know if I might have a Dual Diagnosis?
Affirmations’ highly credentialed staff are able to fully assess your situation if there is suspicion that you might have a dual diagnosis. Having an evaluation by an experienced professional who is trained in this area is the only sure-fire way to know if you have a dual diagnosis or co-occurring disorder.
How is Dual Diagnosis Treated?
This is the part that we enjoy the most at Affirmations: treatment! What makes Affirmations so special is that we treat dual diagnosis with many different tools. Some programs just use a hammer for the treatment of dual diagnosis. That is fine, if you happen to be a nail. What happens if you are not a nail? Let’s say you are a bolt instead. A hammer might be able to eventually pound a bolt through a board. But really, the best result will come if you have a drill with the right sized bits, a wrench, maybe a pliars, and a screw driver. At Affirmations we use many different tools to address your dual diagnosis. Some examples of common treatments include individual therapies which have been proven to be effective with a particular psychological problem, group therapy and process (you will find that many others in the group have very similar issues), dietary changes, physical fitness routine, exploration of spiritual elements, acupuncture, meditation, movement therapy, neurofeedback, and psychiatric intervention with possible medication. Most importantly, all of the treatments which are chosen for your particular issues are completed in an integrated way. Meaning they don’t occur in isolation from one another. All of the treatments work in harmony to get you back on track…. on the road to recovery and feeling alive again!