By: Lakeview Health
Dealing with an addiction is always difficult, but those who struggle with more than one issue may find themselves in a uniquely challenging situation. Rehabilitation and recovery from two or more factors, whether that includes drugs, alcohol, prescription medications or a mental illness, requires a custom program. A dual-diagnosis treatment program helps high-risk patients achieve sobriety and break free from their addictions. To better understand a dual-diagnosis treatment program, learn more about its many benefits.
Addresses the Role of Mental Illness in Addiction
A substantial number of patients who opt to enroll in a dual-diagnosis treatment program struggle with both an addiction and a mental illness or disorder. All too often, treatment programs overlook the psychological aspects of addiction, focusing instead on the physiological side. However, that is a mistake. A dual-diagnosis treatment plan takes mental illness into account. It is widely recognized that mood disorders and mental illnesses increase a person’s vulnerability to addiction. In some cases, drugs may be used as a way to self-medicate. Therefore, it is vital that patients struggling with these issues are able to participate in a dual-diagnosis treatment program that identifies, recognizes and appreciates the role of mental illness in addiction.
Dual-Diagnosis Treatment Programs Look at Recovery Comprehensively
Some recovery or rehabilitation centers that don’t acknowledge dual-diagnosis do their patients a disservice. Lakeview Health, on the other hand, looks at recovery comprehensively. Full recovery means not just the cessation of drugs or alcohol for a specific period, but a lifestyle where drug use is not a temptation as a result of undiagnosed or misidentified mental illnesses. A thorough dual-diagnosis treatment program is beneficial because it gives patients the tools they need to have a lasting recovery. For instance, when depression, anxiety or panic attacks hit, patients will know what they are dealing with. Counselors or therapists may equip patients with techniques and tips to handle these psychological side effects, which in turn can reduce the need and desire for drug or alcohol use.
Medications are Prescribed with Addictive Behavior in Mind
Another reason that a dual-diagnosis treatment program is so vital for some patients has to do with prescription medications. Depending on the addiction or addictions in each case, prescription medications can be a major concern and a potential hurdle toward sobriety. In a dual-diagnosis program, however, medical professionals are aware of the risks and concerns of prescription medications in the treatment of mental illnesses and disorders. They will understand which medications are risky for those addicted to drugs or alcohol, and they will be cognizant of dosage, increased reliance and signs of a potential relapse. Whether patients are battling two addictions or struggling with both addiction and mental illness, dual-diagnosis treatment programs are a necessity. Call Lakeview Health today at 866-704-7692 to learn more about dual-diagnosis treatment and recovery in Jacksonville, Florida.
