Dual Diagnosis Treatment in Niagara Falls, NY
When a patient has been diagnosed with a drug or alcohol addiction as well as a mental health issue, dual diagnosis treatment in Niagara Falls provides an excellent option for both issues. As society becomes more aware of the connectivity between mental illness and addictions, the stigma associated with them has become diminished to the point that dual diagnosis addiction treatment is no longer looked upon as an embarrassment.
Today's dual diagnosis treatment programs are designed to identify the issues surrounding a patient's addictive tendencies in order to treat the mental illness as well as the addiction, providing the best opportunity for recovery.
What is Dual Diagnosis Treatment in Niagara Falls?
Dual diagnosis treatment programs provide therapy, supervision, and treatment for patients who have a mental illness that is accompanied by a drug or alcohol addiction. Today, medical practitioners recognize that these two conditions are often seen together. While it is sometimes difficult to assess which problem came first, it is typically recognized that these two conditions feed off each other to the point of disabling the individual's ability to care for himself properly.
Dual diagnosis addiction treatment manages both conditions at the same time through individual counseling, group therapy, and other therapeutic programs in order to achieve successful rehabilitation and recovery from the substance abuse addiction.
Dual Diagnosis and Addiction
Sources at the National Institute on Drug Abuse provide insight into the connection between addiction and mental illness. The chronic nature of addiction as well as the changes in the structure and functioning of the brain suggest that drug/alcohol addictions are mental health issues.
When the patient is also experiencing another type of mental disorder, dual diagnosis treatment in Niagara Falls becomes of paramount importance in treating the patient after they've completed the process of medical detox in Niagara Falls. In fact, it is common belief in the medical world that drug/alcohol addiction and mental illness are intricately linked, partly because they both affect how a person behaves and thinks and also because they are rooted in the individual's brain functioning.
For example, high-anxiety disorder and addictive overuse of Xanax often accompany each other. Why is this? Anxiety is often treated with Xanax, which is a legally prescribed medicine. After a while, patients build up a tolerance to this drug or simply like the way that it makes them feel, so they continue to take the drug even when they aren't experiencing high levels of anxiety.
Dual diagnosis treatment programs explore the underlying issues leading up to or influencing addictive behaviors in patients. Although most forms of mental illness can only be managed and not cured, it is important for the recovery process to identify the underlying issues in order to suggest the program of treatment that has the best chance of succeeding. Dual diagnosis treatment in Niagara Falls is designed to do just that.
Types of Mental Health Disorders
Even when a mental health disorder cannot be cured, it can still be reasonably managed, allowing the patient to enjoy a full and rewarding life. When an addiction is also present, dual diagnosis addiction treatment is the recommended course of action.
Programs for dual diagnosis treatment in Niagara Falls are designed to address both issues in order to bring about the best opportunity for healing, rehabilitation, and recovery. A number of mental health disorders are commonly associated with drug and/or alcohol addiction. They include each of the following:
Bipolar Disorder -- Bipolar Disorder is a mood disorder that causes people to experience extreme mood swings alternating between depression and euphoria.
Anxiety Disorder -- Anxiety Disorder creates high levels of anxiety within the patient, particularly when social interaction occurs. The fear of having to see or talk to people increases the anxiety to the point that the individual attempts to avoid all social interactions.
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder -- Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is characterized by periods of hyperactivity ant the inability to sit still. Impulsivity goes hand-in-hand with this condition, which is also referred to as ADHD.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) -- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is characterized by obsessive thoughts and behaviors, leading to acts of compulsion.
Schizophrenia -- With schizophrenia, patients experience hallucinations and delusions. Their emotional responses are abnormal and goal-directed activity is impossible.
Depression -- With depression, patients experience great sadness that becomes debilitating, leaving patients without the ability to care for themselves properly.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) -- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is characterized by poor sleep patterns and flashbacks to traumatic events.
Treating both issues gives better results for staying sober since the factors for taking drugs are often tied to stress created by other issues. This is why our relapse prevention in Niagara Falls is tied to our awareness of dual diagnosis.
If you believe that you or someone you love can benefit from dual diagnosis treatment in Niagara Falls, please contact us today at (877) 804-1531.