Dual Diagnosis Means Specialized Treatment

If your loved one is struggling with addiction and suffers from a mental illness, recovery can be even more complicated. Both the addiction and the mental illness need to be addressed and treated; both feed into the other. And both can lead to dire consequences if not properly treated.

What Makes Dual Diagnosis Difficult to Confirm

The very symptoms of substance abuse addiction can match those of a mental illness. If your loved one is addicted to drugs or alcohol, they can slip into psychosis or depression and display paranoid behaviors. The worst mistake is seeing these symptoms and assuming they are a cause of the addiction itself. That’s why dual diagnosis rehab is so important. In our treatment, your loved one will be carefully evaluated to confirm an underlying mental illness is present. After identifying the issue, a customized treatment plan will be designed that treats both the illness and the addiction.

Improper Diagnosis

Unfortunately, many people who suffer from drug addiction are improperly diagnosed. Addiction professionals without a proper background in mental illnesses may overlook an issue. When a mental illness goes untreated, it makes recovery more difficult, leading to further distress, or even resulting in suicide. In our dual diagnosis recovery program, your loved one will be evaluated by a highly trained medical and clinical staff with a background in dual diagnosis. We understand the complications of mental illness, especially when that mental illness is tied into substance abuse addiction.

Medication Complications

Another factor that complicates dual diagnosis rehab is medication. Clients often find their current medications are not effective. This may be due to the fact they were initially misdiagnosed and do not suffer from a mental illness but rather an addiction. Or, it may be because the substances they are abusing render the medications ineffective. To ensure your loved one gets the help they need, the first step in our dual diagnosis treatment program is to detox, removing all substances safely while having medical supervision. Once they have detoxed, your loved one can be evaluated properly to determine the medications, if needed, that will help with any potential mental illness. While dual diagnosis rehab is more complicated than drug addiction rehab alone, with proper medical attention and professional support, your loved one can experience a healthy and sober life. Photo: The Ranch PA