Mental health disorders can be incredibly disabling to a patient, even though they aren’t fully understood by the general public. The same applies to substance abuse disorders, which can be harmful to patients and their loved ones, but also have social stigma attached to them.
Treating these disorders separately can be challenging enough, but what if a patient has both a mental illness and a substance abuse disorder? This post will explore how these co-occurring disorders can be successfully treated.
What is a Dual Diagnosis?
A dual diagnosis, otherwise known as a co-occurring disorder, refers to a patient who has been diagnosed with both a mental illness and a substance abuse disorder. This can be incredibly difficult to deal with, as both disorders can complicate each other.
An example of this might be a patient who has an alcohol abuse disorder combined with severe depression.
Dual diagnoses are by no means rare, and might be more common than many people realize. But this doesn’t eliminate the challenge or the importance of treating them.
What Causes Co-Occurring Disorders?
One of the reasons that people with substance abuse disorders often also have a mental health disorder is that both conditions share risk factors.
Stress, trauma, and genetic factors all play a role in whether or not a person might develop these disorders. Sometimes, people whose family members have these disorders don’t just have the genetic factor to contend with, but they also have the additional trauma associated with a family member who has these conditions. This may be especially true in cases where parents with severe mental health or substance abuse disorders have raised children.
In some cases, a mental health disorder can cause a substance abuse disorder. This might happen because a patient uses drugs or alcohol to self-medicate and numb their mental illness. This might seem to have a limited temporary effect, but the symptoms of their mental health condition will be exacerbated over time.
Drugs and alcohol can also potentially increase someone’s risk of developing a mental illness. This is because they change how the brain works. This can lead to a vicious cycle where their substance abuse disorder then gets worse and more difficult to deal with.
The Importance of an Accurate Diagnosis
Co-occurring disorders can be difficult to diagnose. This is because it can be hard to untangle the symptoms of the substance abuse disorder with a mental illness. Intoxication and withdrawal, for example, might mimic the symptoms of a mental health disorder.
A professional has to conduct a thorough examination and interview to determine whether a patient has a dual diagnosis. One important thing to ask is about symptoms that the patient may have experienced prior to their substance abuse disorder. If they had an undiagnosed mental illness, it could have been made worse by substance abuse.
It’s also important to explore the potential triggers for both substance abuse disorders and mental health disorders that might have occurred in the patient’s life.
While it can take time to get a dual diagnosis, it’s well worth the effort. This allows professionals to more effectively treat the dual diagnosis.
What to Consider When Treating a Dual Diagnosis
Effective treatment requires dealing with both the mental illness and the substance abuse disorder at the same time. Both conditions have a massive effect on the patient’s life and on the other condition.
Poor mental health can make it much more difficult to effectively treat a substance abuse disorder, and drug and alcohol abuse can severely worsen the symptoms of an existing mental health problem.
Simultaneously treatment is the most likely way to achieve a good result. Depending on the severity of these conditions, an in-patient treatment plan might be most effective. As well as providing a diagnosis, a doctor will need to come up with an effective treatment that is tailored to each patient’s needs.
Detoxification
The first step is often to flush the system of any substances while helping the patient through withdrawal symptoms. The patient will be admitted so that they’re as safe as possible and that their withdrawal can be properly monitored.
This is a vital and necessary step as it not only begins the treatment for the substance abuse disorder, but it also allows the symptoms of a mental illness to be more easily differentiated from the symptoms of someone under the influence or in withdrawal.
Psychotherapy and Medication
Once the patient is clean of any substances, they can then receive psychotherapy designed to deal with both disorders. This is why each patient may need a unique plan of action.
Some people may need more intense initial therapy to help them learn effective coping skills, but as they progress, this approach could be relaxed.
In addition to therapy, a patient might be prescribed medication to reduce cravings and to treat mental health conditions.
Rehabilitation and Support
In-patient rehabilitation can help patients receive the care and potentially intensive treatment they need as they recover. Once a patient is ready to return to their lives, it’s important to keep up the support with support groups and outpatient treatments.