Here at Grand Falls Addiction Treatment Center, we have a special treatment program for those who receive a dual diagnosis. A lot of medical experts believe that this makes up a lot of the population who have an issue with substance abuse, and they are likely right. 

Our dual diagnosis program works closely with our patients to ensure that they get the most out of our service for both the mental health issue, and the substance abuse.

Another term that you may or may not have heard of though is comorbidity. Comorbidity is the diagnosis that people receive if they have more than one problem at the same time when they are addicted to a substance. So, what is the difference between the two when they seem so similar? Let’s take a look.

The Similarities

The biggest similarity between the two is that they both refer to more than one condition that a patient is experiencing at the same time. Essentially, both of these diagnoses mean that the patient has more complex needs than if there were just one thing that needed to be dealt with. 

It happens often that people confuse these things because at first glance they seem as though they are exactly the same. They both relate to substance abuse, and they both mean substance abuse coupled with another issue. As such, it’s easy to see why people would be confused by the two terms, often using them interchangeably when this is not possible.

The Differences

The main difference between the two is that dual diagnosis deals with substance abuse coupled with a mental health issue such as depression or anxiety. So, an example of dual diagnosis would be drug addiction and depression. On the other hand, comorbidity refers to substance abuse as well as another physical condition. As such, an example of a comorbidity would be substance abuse and high blood pressure. 

It’s not possible to take the same approach when it comes to treating comorbidity and a dual diagnosis. One of these needs a physical change, and the other is in the mind.

How To Treat

It used to be the case that people believed that you should treat these things as two separate conditions. When it comes to comorbidity, sometimes this is necessary, but the link between the substance abuse and the health condition needs to be looked at first. 

More often than not, those with a comorbidity will have health problems caused by the drugs that they are taking. However, the physical problem might have already been there before the substance abuse, which is what led to taking the drugs in the first place. 

At Grand Falls Addiction Treatment Center, however, we offer dual diagnosis treatment but are unable to cater for comorbidity. We employ a number of different tactics to treat those with dual diagnosis. While there is no evidence to suggest that drugs cause mental health problems or that mental health problems are a trigger for people taking drugs, it’s difficult to treat these as two separate things. One reason for this is because a lot of the time the symptoms are so similar. 

As well as this, treating both at the same time will yield better results. This can be done through a combination of detox from the substance, and then also offering psychological therapy to talk through some of the thoughts in the head of the patient. It takes time, and it’s going to be difficult, as the mental health side of things is likely going to get worse during the detox, but our experts are dedicated to helping you live a healthy and sober life. 

The integrated mental health and substance abuse program that we offer is run by experts who understand that there is a link between the two issues. We will try a combination of techniques, finding what works best for you, what helps you the most, what makes you feel the most comfortable and so on, to help you live the best drug-free, healthy life you can.

Contact Us

If you have an addiction and another health condition, we are able to help you. Our dual diagnosis program could be extremely helpful to you, helping you to tackle not just one, but two problems at the same time. It’s going to be difficult, we’re not going to lie to you, but it is absolutely going to be worth it. If you get in touch with us, a friendly member of our team will be more than happy to get you started.

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