Two-Pronged Solution to Substance Abuse Addiction

The abuse of substances brings with it physical and mental damages to the abuser. This makes the dual diagnosis program the most effective approach to helping drug addiction patients for two major reasons: it takes into account both the physical and mental effects on the drug abuser and its treatment plan is integrated right from the outset.

 Relationship between Addiction and Mental Disorder

Almost all of the substance addiction patients manifest secondary mental disorders that run concurrent to their addiction. Such mental disorders include trauma, depression, under-treated or undiagnosed ADHD, anxiety disorders, and a host of other psychological issues that they have dealt with for a long time. In most instances, the addictions have arisen in response to the poorly managed mental disorders.

The Double-Prong Treatment Plan

Dual diagnosis treatment programs address both the substance abuse and the underlying psychiatric diagnosis. This entails a comprehensive assessment of the patient in the first stages of the treatment process to ascertain the therapies that will be effective for their case. These programs also provide effective checks for over-medication and under-medication for dual disorders. Doctors and staff of the dual diagnosis facilities would first address a patient’s mental disorder in order to prevent relapse into substance abuse as his or her recovery progresses.

For the best results, however, both disorders ought to be treated concurrently. It is not just a matter of treating both psychiatric disorders and substance use in parallel because the two disorders have much interplay with each other. There are also specialized dual diagnosis treatments that employ a wide range of pharmaceutical and therapeutic interventions to address separate conditions as well as any interaction between them.