Dual diagnosis is when an individual is battling both a mental health condition as well as abusing drugs or alcohol. The substance abuse and mental illnesses run concurrently. The primary goal of a dual diagnosis treatment center and their clinical staff is to determine which condition came first when an addict enrolls in their program. To be honest, sometimes it's never determined which condition came first. For example, alcohol is a depressant so it could make alcohol consumers depressed after a prolonged period of use. On the other hand, what do some individuals do when they get depressed? They drink alcohol. This is the classic chicken or the egg predicament. Which came first?
In America, nearly 9 million new cases of co-occurring disorders occur every year. Less than 10%, however, ever receive the proper treatment for these conditions. The majority of drug rehabilitation centers do not have the clinical staff or licensure to treat dual diagnosis. In other words, dual diagnosis is a higher level of care than what most treatment centers offer. Dual diagnosis also goes hand in hand with the United States penal system. More than 60% of prisoners in the United States were regular substance abusers at the time of their arrest. Many argue that their substance abuse is why they're committing crimes in the first place. More than 50% of prisoners also suffer from a mental illness. With that said, has the government done it's job to ensure that there is sufficient funding for mental health programs in this country? The answer is unclear.
Statistically, the five most common co-occurring disorders are heroin addiction and depression, addiction to painkillers and PTSD, cocaine addiction and anxiety, alcoholism and personality disorders, marijuana addiction and schizophrenia. In other words, the majority of people that suffer from these conditions are the most likely to abuse these particular substances. When an addict successfully completes a rehab stay, they enter addiction recovery. By the time they've reached recovery, they will have hopefully developed the skills to cope with their mental illness without the use of substances. This is why programs such as acupuncture, yoga, exercise, meditation, etc. are implemented into drug treatment programs so heavily. These activities can be used as stress relief and therapy and an alternative to drugs and alcohol.
Statistics suggest that most addicts will relapse at some point and end up back at square one. However, it's a learning process and for dual diagnosis patients, the key is learning to live with their mental illness without abusing substances.
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Understanding Alcoholism