Dual Diagnosis Conditions And Treatment
Many people who suffer from drug and alcohol addiction also suffer from diagnosed mental health disorders. This are referred to as “co-morbid” disorders. Although at first it may be difficult to determine how much of the co-morbid emotional disturbances are a result of the drug and alcohol addiction, studies have shown that in many cases, drug and alcohol patients are attempting to self-treat their pre-existing emotional issues. At Milestones Ranch in Malibu, the staff treats both the addiction and the emotional disturbances.
One of the most common co-morbid mental health diagnoses for drug and alcohol patients is anxiety, or one of the disorders in the anxiety family of disorders. This includes post-traumatic stress disorder. Post-traumatic stress disorder is common in victims of violence, both isolated incidents of violence and ongoing violence, as is common in domestic violence.
Depression and other mood disorders are also common with drug and alcohol abuse patients. The use of alcohol or drugs is frequently related to an attempt on the part of the patient to improve their mood. As the source of depression is chemical, the treatment is also chemical. These patients frequently require prescription anti-depressant medication as a way to keep them from continuing to keep self-medicating.
Attention deficit issues can pre-date drug and alcohol issues, or they can be caused by excessive drug and alcohol use. The lack of focus common to attention deficit patients can make them more susceptible the urge to take drugs and alcohol. Learning to handle attention deficit in a healthy way can help prevent future drug and alcohol issues.
Obsessive compulsive disorder, also known as OCD, is a common co-morbid disorder for drug and alcohol addiction patients. Although the patients may have initially started using drugs and alcohol as a way to reduce their compulsive urges, the use of certain drugs can make obsessive behavior worse.
Drug and alcohol abuse can create sexual dysfunction as well. Some patients find that they lose interest in sexual activities, but a more frequently seen disorder is over-compulsive sexual desires, known as sexual addiction. Sexual addiction and sexually compulsivity frequently are present before the person becomes addicted to drugs or alcohol.
Those who suffer from chronic pain frequently turn to drug and alcohol as a way to manage the pain. Alcohol and non-prescribed drugs can help mitigate the pain you feel when you have a condition that causes chronic pain. Another possibility is that people with chronic pain will begin taking too much of their prescribed pain medications and become addicted to them, which can lead to other addictions as well.
In order to effectively treat drug and alcohol addiction, the patient must also have his dual diagnoses treated. The background of mental health issues can help provide more complete understanding of the patient by their doctors and therapists.
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