Why California Dual Diagnosis Treatment Works

Dual diagnosis treatment, also known as co-occurring disorders treatment is a term used when a patient is experiencing disorders as a result of substance abuse as well as a mental illness. Either of the two, the substance use or the mental illness, can develop first. People who regularly suffer from certain mental conditions often turn to alcohol as an effort to self-medicate or to improve the symptoms of the mental illness. Unfortunately, research has shown that the use of alcohol and other drugs during these situations only worsen the individual’s condition. Most professional fields of substance abuse and mental disorder treatment incorporate different cultures, which makes it hard to find integrated care. This is one of the reasons why some treatment facilities, such as the Auburn Addiction Treatment Center started featuring the dual diagnosis as one of their treatment methods. In this post, we are going to look at some of the reasons why California dual diagnosis treatments. Works.

The success of dual diagnosis treatment can be traced back to several treatment methods applied, which include:

• Detoxification
• Inpatient Rehabilitation
• Supportive housing
• Psychotherapy
• Self-help and support groups.

The dual diagnosis treatment, however, is integrated intervention. When a patient receives care and love from both their counselors and their family members, contributes significantly to this method of treatment. We are living in an era where the statement “we cannot treat you because you are also drinking” is severely outdated. Everybody deserves to get proper help and treatment to regain their healthy life once again. Below, let us look at more reasons why dual diagnosis treatment works.

dual diagnosis treatment

Detoxification – First Dual Diagnosis Treatment

The very first hurdle that people who are under dual diagnosis treatment will have to pass is detoxification. For initial sobriety, inpatient detoxification is generally more effective as compared to outpatient detoxification, mainly because of safety and better monitoring. For inpatient detoxification, the patients are always under careful monitoring by the professional medical staff. The medics will, at times, administer controlled amounts of the substance of abuse or its medical equivalent in an effort to wean the patient off it slowly so that the effects of withdrawal are not too much.

Inpatient Rehabilitation

An individual who is suffering from both mental disorders and over-dependency on drugs or substances has excellent chances of benefiting from inpatient rehabilitation centers where they will be under close monitoring 24/7 all wee through. This is because these centers have trained professionals who can offer support, medication, health care and therapy to treat the mental conditions and to lessen the effects of substance abuse on the mental health of the patient as well as try to find alternatives to replace drug dependency.

Supportive Housing

This comprises of homes, sober houses, or residential treatment centers such as the Auburn Addiction Treatment Center where people under dual diagnosis treatment are put together so that they can share their experiences and encourage each other. The patients can also compare their progress, which will also serve as an encouragement to each other. The best category of patients that qualify for these supportive housings is the newly sober or those who are trying to avoid relapse. These centers offer support for each patient so that they can learn how to cope on their own without being monitored by their doctors. These homes are, however, under constant criticism since the critics claim that they are not run by professional personnel, and therefore, the quality of the care offered is questionable. The bottom line is, they work, and there have been patients who came out of these supportive housing totally healed and back to their usual selves again.

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is a considerable part of dual diagnosis treatment. It is particularly applied in the cognitive behavioral therapy where it is used to help the patients under dual diagnosis to learn how to cope with stressful situations and change their ineffective thought patterns, which if left unaddressed, may increase the chances of relapse. Some medications are used to treat the mental conditions in Psychotherapy, together with some level of counseling. There are still other medications that are used to ease withdrawal symptoms in patients who were previously deep into substance abuse. These people tend to stay a little bit longer at the detoxification period.

dual diagnosis treatment

Self-help and support groups

Patients who are under the dual diagnosis treatment can often feel challenged and isolated. These support groups present a platform where the patients can freely share their frustrations, celebrate even the slightest successes and get good referrals from people who have successfully overcome addiction.