Dual Diagnosis Facts
At least half of the individuals who have a drug or alcohol addiction are believed to have at least one significant mental condition.
Some of the most common mental disorders that are reported in dual diagnosis patients are Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Panic Anxiety Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, Eating Disorders and Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, and Major Depression.
The most effective way to treat an individual that is determined to have a dual diagnosis is through an integrated form of treatment; with this type of care, psychiatrists and addiction counselors are both simultaneously involved in the recovery process. This team of professional's works together for the purpose of making sure that each dual diagnosis treatment component is complimenting the other.
Most drug and alcohol rehab centers in the United States are not equipped to be able to properly diagnose and treat dual diagnosis patients.
If an individual requires dual diagnosis treatment, they should be sure to check with the drug rehab center that they have chosen, to be sure that they are able to meet their long term recovery needs.
It has been estimated that over one-third of individuals that struggle with alcoholism, have also been diagnosed with at least one mental illness, at some point in their lives.
Dual diagnosis refers to people who are suffering with a drug or alcohol addiction, and some form of mental illness.
Individuals with a dual diagnosis are reported to make up a large percentage of the addiction community, but there is still much that is lacking about this condition outside of the mental health profession.
Prison systems in the United States are reported to have a substantial number of dual diagnosis patients; research has estimated that one in five of those individuals under lock and key within the prison system in this country has currently been formerly classified with a dual diagnosis.
Individuals with a dual diagnosis have been reported to be at a much higher risk for suicide; some studies that have been conducted by mental health professional have indicated that dual diagnosis patients commit suicide at a significantly higher rate than people who have been diagnosed with a drug or alcohol addiction or a mental illness alone.
When a person has a dual diagnosis, to treat only half of the problem is to ignore the true nature of the problem.
According to mental health experts, expecting a person with mental problems to respond to "mainstream" alcohol and drug addiction treatment is not being realistic; these treatment professionals believe that both issues must be addressed simultaneously, in order to be able to achieve long term success.
Significant life traumas, such as severe physical and sexual abuse, are thought to lead to a dual diagnosis in many individuals; thus, it is commonly believed that victims of abuse often abuse drugs and alcohol try to numb themselves from the psychological pain that they are experiencing due to their past abuse.