Dual Diagnosis Treatment in Nelsonville, OH

At our rehab for dual diagnosis treatment in Nelsonville, awareness of the condition runs very high. To many, it is intuitive to think of an addiction as a condition that the addict enters voluntarily. The scientific view of addiction is diametrically opposed to the layperson's intuitive understanding of the disorder, however.

On nearly every level, addiction is proven to form and stay in place for causes that have little to do with personal choice. One of these causes -- the dual diagnosis condition -- is particularly significant, and is commonly ignored by both patients and rehab clinics. It is the scientific position today that the dual diagnosis condition affects most addicts. It is only a treatment program that squarely addresses this challenge that is able to truly help addicts.

What is Dual Diagnosis?

Drug use doesn't necessarily lead to addiction. Many people do use drugs and alcohol, but manage to stop short of actual abuse or addiction, nevertheless. Some, however, are not able to find the self-control that would allow them do this. More often than not, there are additional factors at play that are responsible for their helplessness.

In some, the additional factor may exist in the form of a genetic vulnerability. Others may suffer from psychological or personality disorders. Those with poor impulse control or those prone to anger often have little self-restraint, and may lose themselves in substance abuse before they are able to pull back. In half of all cases of addiction, the contributing factor is an underlying mental disorder. People who suffer from mental conditions such as obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, depression or anxiety disorder tend to drift towards substance abuse in spite of themselves.

Mental Disorders Often Derive in Substance Abuse

There are many theories that attempt to explain why addiction should be as common among the mentally ill as it is. One of the best-received explanations is the one that points to substance abuse as a form of self-medication. A person with anxiety disorder may abuse alcohol or prescription medicines because they help calm anxiety, for example.

Our Rehab Center for Dual Diagnosis Treatment in Nelsonville

When a dual diagnosis addict attends rehab at a program not designed on scientific principles, he may receive treatment for the addiction alone. When the original driving force towards addiction remains untreated, however, there is nothing to stop the patient from returning to addiction very soon after. Relapse prevention in Nelsonville keeps these forces in check.

It takes special treatment programs and expertise to treat dual diagnosis conditions in an effective way. Prevalence being his high as it is, it is usually a good idea for patients and families to seek dual diagnosis when they choose rehab, whether they suspect such a complication or not.

How are Dual Diagnosis Conditions Treated?

There are a number of approaches used in the treatment of dual diagnosis conditions. Many dual diagnosis treatment programs see the addiction and the mental disorder as completely unrelated conditions, for example, and offer treatment by separate teams who do not communicate with one another.

In our rehab for dual diagnosis treatment in Nelsonville, we favor the most scientifically accepted approach of all — the integrated approach. There are a number of positives to this approach.

Improved clarity: With many mental disorders, the symptoms experienced by the patient tend to be similar to the symptoms seen in addiction. From depression and anxiety to agitation and fear, there are symptoms common to both kinds of disorder. It can be impossible for a treating psychiatrist to isolate and attribute a symptom to a particular disorder. In dual diagnosis treatment programs, however, the psychiatrist and the addiction specialist collaborate and work together, an approach that ensures the greatest possible clarity.

A higher level of safety: Addiction treatment can be harder when there is a mental disorder involved. There may be violent tendencies, in some cases, for example, or a hostile, uncooperative attitude. When addiction is treated separately, the team in attendance is usually ill-equipped for such situations. In integrated dual diagnosis environments, on the other hand, every specialist on the team is aware of the challenges, and is well-equipped to handle them.

There's uniformity of treatment approach: When the different doctors on a patient's dual diagnosis case disagree on the treatment approaches to take, it can lead to poor quality care. In an integrated approach, however, all doctors on the multi-disciplinary team work together, and are always on the same page.

The buck stops right there: It is common in treatment approaches that involve separate teams, for responsibility for failure to get passed around. This never happens with integrated dual diagnosis treatment. There is one team responsible for the patient's health at all times.

Relapse Prevention Treatment

With any diagnosis of addiction, achieving short-term freedom from addictive behavior is the easy part; maintaining sobriety, on the other hand, tends to take the greatest amount of effort. It requires years of therapy and psychological training to achieve. For patients with dual diagnosis conditions, the relapse prevention segment of our inpatient rehab in Nelsonville can be the most crucial. It requires special skill and training in a therapist to help patients who struggle with mental disorders.

At our center for dual diagnosis treatment in Nelsonville, we have psychologists and therapists with experience specific to dual diagnosis conditions. If you would like to speak to our dual diagnosis experts about having a condition treated, we are always willing to help. Call us now at (877) 804-1531.