Some of the most common mental health disorders associated with co-occurring disorders include depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and personality disorders. Knowing what are co-occurring disorders is vital in finding the right mental health treatment program and therapies to fit an individual’s unique needs.
Without learning more about co-occurring disorders and dual diagnosis treatment, individuals will not only have a much more difficult time finding treatment but also completing it and making a long-lasting recovery. Addressing co-occurring disorders through a dual diagnosis treatment program in Glendale, AZ helps prevent relapse and helps individuals regain their physical and mental health.
What Are Co-Occurring Disorders?
A co-occurring disorder is when an individual is struggling with both a substance addiction and a mental health disorder. Frequently, addiction and mental health issues arise together. It can be unclear if one is causing the other. However, it is most important to see how the two conditions reinforce each other, taking the individual down a dark, difficult path.
There are several scenarios where a co-occurring disorder can arise. Some individuals abuse drugs or alcohol and, in the process of doing so, the physical stress of substance abuse and the social or emotional fallout from abusing drugs or alcohol, can provoke mental health issues. For example, an individual may become depressed or develop an anxiety disorder. It is also possible for individuals to experience or suffer trauma due to substance abuse leading them to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Similarly, individuals may already be struggling with a mental health issue when they begin to abuse drugs or alcohol. For some, to alleviate the emotional or psychological distress they are experiencing, they turn to substances. Initially, individuals tend to experience relief from depression or anxiety when they drink or use drugs. However, in the long-run, doing so only masks their mental health issues. Rather than resolving or curing their mental health issues, substance abuse causes the conditions to worsen. To address co-occurring disorders, individuals need professional help from a dual diagnosis treatment center.
Dual Diagnosis Treatment in Glendale, AZ
Dual diagnosis is the treatment method for individuals struggling with co-occurring disorders. In this form of treatment, counselors, therapists, and medical professionals work together to simultaneously treat an individual’s substance abuse and mental health issues. Dual diagnosis treatment can be challenging because it requires patience from everyone involved. Working through the physical symptoms of addiction is a challenge on its own. If an individual addresses their physical addition but not their emotional or psychological issues that may have caused the substance abuse to arise in the first place, they are at high risk for relapse. The same is true when emotional or psychological issues are addressed without treating an individual’s physical addiction.
Using a variety of behavioral and talk therapy in individual or one-on-one situations and group therapy, individuals can get the care they need to heal. By treating both conditions simultaneously, the dual diagnosis treatment program at Sunlight Medical Services gives patients the best chance to heal and make a lasting recovery.
Contact Sunlight Medical Services Today
Our goal is to get you or your loved one on the path to recovery. Regardless of the substance abuse or the mental health issue a patient may be struggling with, Sunlight Medical Services can help. Patients can learn more about what are co-occurring disorders as they get the treatment they need to heal and recover. For example, we offer the following addiction treatment services:
- Individual counseling
- Group counseling
- Intensive outpatient program
- Behavioral intervention for pain
Our therapy services and addiction and mental health treatment programs combine to give patients the comprehensive care needed to make a lasting recovery. Contact Sunlight Medical Services today at (855) 920-1104 to learn more.
