Dual Diagnosis in Gaithersburg, MD
Sometimes a person struggling with drug addiction also struggles with other health conditions, including a mental health disorder. When these occur together, the condition is known as a dual diagnosis. A person who suffers from a dual diagnosis in Gaithersburg can benefit from treatments that not only address a person's substance abuse history, but also that help to treat a mental illness as well.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, an estimated 7.9 million people in the United States have a dual diagnosis. While this condition may be common, it is not always commonly treated.
Until more recently, drug and alcohol treatment centers did not focus on both aspects of a person's health.
However, dual diagnosis treatment centers now know that treating both conditions simultaneously is associated with better chances of recovery success.
Types of Mental Health Disorders
While mental health disorders can range in severity in terms of how they impact a person's day-to-day life, all mental health conditions deserve treatment, just as substance abuse problems do.
Examples of some of the common mental health disorders involved with a dual diagnosis in Gaithersburg include:
- Bipolar disorder: This condition causes a person to fluctuate between the highs and lows of personality. A person may experience depression, following by mania, or a period of extremely elevated mood.
- Anxiety: Anxiety is a state of unnatural fear that can keep a person from even going outdoors in its most extreme forms.
- Schizophrenia: Schizophrenia causes a person to experience a loss of touch with reality, such as hallucinations and psychosis. This is a severe mental illness that requires addiction treatment in Gaithersburg.
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: This condition causes a person to experience obsessive thoughts or enact obsessive behaviors, such as handwashing.
- Depression: This condition causes a person to experience a low mood where they experience intense feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. As a result, a person may contemplate self-harm or suicide.
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): This condition occurs after a person has gone through a traumatic event, such as physical abuse, a military battle, or natural disaster.
Why Is Dual Diagnosis Treatment Necessary?
Both a dual diagnosis and substance abuse will not go away without medical help. A person cannot simply decide to overcome either condition due to sheer willpower.
Both conditions are medical problems that deserve treatment by medical professionals. Some of the dual diagnosis services include:
- Detoxification: This involves withdrawing from drugs and alcohol in a facility where medical professionals are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Medical experts usually recommend a person with a dual diagnosis in Gaithersburg seek inpatient treatment as the detoxification process can escalate feelings of depression and potentially thoughts of suicide.
- Inpatient Rehabilitation: Some people may choose to continue their recovery at an inpatient facility. Here, a person can undergo counseling to better understand both aspects of their dual diagnosis and living a life free from drug and alcohol abuse. Because a doctor may likely prescribe medications to help treat a person's mental health disorder, inpatient treatment for dual diagnosis allows a person to receive help over the time it often takes for these medications to become effective.
- Group Therapies: Group therapy in the form of 12-step programs or therapies specific to those with a dual diagnosis can help a person experience long-term sobriety. Through the support of others experiencing and overcoming similar challenges, a person can experience greater incidences of sobriety. There is even a 12-step program specific to those with a dual diagnosis called "Double Trouble in Recovery."
What Are the Benefits of Dual Diagnosis Treatment?
Many people who suffer from a dual diagnosis try to use drugs and alcohol as a means to self-medicate their problems.
However, neither substance is a long-term solution for mental illness and will often worsen a person's symptoms. As a result, a person should seek treatment for their condition at a dual diagnosis in Gaithersburg.
The benefits of dual diagnosis treatment programs are many. A person can finally break free from substance abuse that is keeping them from meaningful relationships with friends and family, stop experiencing the health side effects that come from drug abuse, and reduce the likelihood they will experience trouble with the legal system.
Also, those who abuse drugs are at risk for death and drug overdose. By seeking professional treatment, a person can ideally extend their life.
Acknowledging that a person has a substance abuse problem and a mental illness can be difficult. However, there are millions of people across the country that struggle with dual diagnosis.
By seeking treatment for dual diagnosis in Gaithersburg, a person can start on the pathway to a healthier, better life. Call Gaithersburg Drug and Alcohol Rehab Centers now for help (877) 804-1531.