Addiction and mental health are directly related. Co-occurring mental health disorders and substance abuse treatment require comprehensive dual diagnosis addiction treatment at an inpatient addiction treatment center in Orange County, CA.
Co-Occurring Disorders
Medicine describes a simultaneous addiction and mental health condition as a “co-occurring” or “dual diagnosis disorder.” Sometimes the addiction feeds the substance abuse, and sometimes the other way around. They are a unique problem in the treatment of addiction and mental health.
The emerging philosophy around co-occurring disorders is that they are best handled in an integrated way. Both conditions get addressed at the same time, leading to much better outcomes.
Addiction and Mental Health
Co-occurring disorders don’t necessarily have a common pattern. Symptoms can present in either order, starting with substance abuse first or the mental health issue first.
Some of the most common dual diagnosis conditions involve anxiety — generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. For example, cocaine abuse and anxiety tend to occur together.
But addiction and mental health also combine frequently with depression and bipolar disorder, ADHD, or antisocial personality disorder.
Addiction researchers estimate that as many as 50 percent of people with a mental illness also suffer from a substance abuse disorder.
Symptoms of Addiction and Mental Health
How do you know if you are struggling with separate disorders, or whether anxiety is a symptom of drug abuse? The two have some overlap. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, symptoms of substance abuse include:
- Withdrawal
- Pulling apart from friends and family
- Dangerous or unusual behaviors
- Presence of drug-related items, such as tiny bags with residue
- Dressing unusually, as if to hide needle marks
Mental health disorders, meanwhile, might create mood swings, problems with concentration, or physical symptoms such as shortness of breath. The sequential treatment of both conditions — addiction and mental health — helps resolve the symptoms more effectively.
More than 9 million people experienced both a mental illness and substance abuse condition in 2018, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. It’s a number that has been on the rise since 2015, making it a significant addiction and mental health problem.
Dual Diagnosis Treatment Programs
Upon your admission into a dual diagnosis addiction treatment center in Orange County, CA, the addiction treatment staff will conduct a mental health assessment to compile a personalized mental health assessment based on the unique co-occurring disorders fueling your drug addiction.
Mental health treatment programs in Orange County CA provide treatment for the mental health problems that can lead to relapse. Addiction is the result of mental health issues. When people seek rehab without mental health treatment, they set themselves up for relapse because it is essential to treat the core issue of mental health before you can make a lasting recovery from your drug addiction. Mental health treatment programs include:
Mental Health IOP in Orange County, CA provides a more structured therapeutic environment than regular outpatient programs. A mental health intensive outpatient program in Orange County, CA addresses the root issues of mental health and substance use symptoms. Addiction therapy programs used in conjunction with a mental health intensive outpatient program in Orange County, CA include:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy
- Holistic Therapy Program
- Partial Hospitalization Program
- Medication-Assisted Treatment Program
Integrated treatment for addiction and mental health starts in a common way. You will first be subjected to a complete medical and mental health evaluation. The treatment team needs to understand how you got here for them to help you best.
From there, the team builds a treatment plan. It may be a little different for every individual. But you’ll typically start with detox or rehab, before working through various types of therapy – individual, group or family therapy – to get to the bottom of your mental health challenges.
Treatment doesn’t end with counseling. You can also expect a period of aftercare that is designed to lower the risks of relapse. Substance abuse is a disease that can, unfortunately, recur.
Getting the Help You Need
Addiction and mental health produce significant challenges. It’s difficult to go through this all on your own. A professional team can help by providing a full range of mental health treatment programs. In particular, many centers offer a full-service mental health IOP, which is shorthand for an intensive outpatient program. Other services may include medication-assisted treatment, a men’s rehab program, and outpatient treatment. Today, you can find a facility to stand behind you every step of the way.