The Heart of the Matter- Dual Diagnosis and its Necessity for Treating Addiction
By: Fabiola Grosshan
Submitted: 2010-07-08 02:05:49 | Word Count: 351
Many people who enter an inpatient substance abuse clinic have mental health issues that overlap with addiction. Substance abuse is often a symptom of larger issues that must be treated just as intensely as the substance abuse itself. You can’t fix one without fixing the other.
It’s because of this that a quality inpatient facility will function as a dual diagnosis rehab to take care of both substance abuse and co-existing conditions such as bipolar disorder or depression.
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Depression is one of many things that can contribute to a problem with alcohol and drugs. All too often this is not recognized, and a dual diagnosis is overlooked. Alcoholism and drug abuse are also common symptoms of bipolar disorder, and the substance abuse cannot be dealt with effectively until the underlying disorder is diagnosed and treated too.
A good addiction treatment facility will evaluate each patient and diagnose any disorders that accompany the problem of substance abuse. After this, inpatient counseling, group therapy and daily routines address each individual’s diagnosis. The result is that when a patient leaves the inpatient clinic, they have an excellent understanding of themselves and have an aftercare plan that helps them cope with life free of addiction. By sticking to the aftercare plan, the prognosis for the patient skyrockets, and the chance of relapse decreases.
Everyone needs coping skills to get through the down periods of life, as there will be many of those in each person’s lifetime. Today’s inpatient drug rehab centers focus as much on life skills as they do on addiction because the addict is a person who has forgotten how to live a life of joy, determination and stability. During treatment, they learn to celebrate the beauty, joy and opportunities of life and to endure through its disappointing and difficult times. When they leave; they take with them new life skills to live a new life.
