When you’re ready to get help for your addiction to drugs or alcohol, you may have questions about the process. Many people have no experience with rehab and feel a lot of anxiety about entering treatment for the first time. Moreover, a question that often comes up when researching addiction facilities is what is dual diagnosis? This is a great question! One of the common misconceptions about dual diagnosis is that people think it means using multiple substances. However, dual diagnosis is much different, and it’s something that most people struggle with in addiction.
Explaining What is Dual Diagnosis
Many people who develop an addiction can’t help but wonder why he or she developed an addiction and others don’t. Those who develop an addiction are subject to a wide range of risk factors, and one is mental illness. Specifically, it’s extremely common for people with a mental illness that isn’t diagnosed to turn to drugs or alcohol. This is a form of self-medication that not only develops an addiction, but it makes the symptoms even worse.
In fact, the other term for dual diagnosis is having co-occurring disorders. It’s important to know the answer to, “What is dual diagnosis?” because it can help you with recovery. When you self-medicate with alcohol or drugs for your mental illness, you have rewired your neuropathways. For example, your brain believes the only way to deal with these symptoms of mental illness is to drink or use drugs.
What is Dual Diagnosis Treatment?
As you research various addiction treatment services, you may see that some facilities specialize in dual diagnosis treatment. This is an extremely important part of the treatment process to give you the best chance to stay clean. Moreover, at a rehab center that offers this form of treatment, you will receive support for your mental illness. Getting treatment for both your addiction and your mental illness at the same time help increase the effectiveness of both.
One of the primary causes of relapse is when a person isn’t treating their mental illness. For example, it’s extremely difficult to find the motivation to stay clean when you have depression. Without the motivation or pleasure systems in the brain working, you may see sobriety as a good thing. With your mental illness under control, you’ll want to stay clean because you’re experiencing all the benefits of life.
Finding Help for Your Dual Diagnosis
Crest View Recovery Center is an alcohol and drug treatment center located in Asheville, North Carolina. Furthermore, our team of professionals work with people who struggle with addiction and mental illness. We’re here to give you the personal attention you deserve, and we treat each person with compassion. Our goal is to help you find a better way of living so you can regain control of your life.
For example, substance abuse treatment programs we offer include:
- Individual therapy program
- Psychotherapy for substance abuse
- Family therapy program
- Rehab treatment program
- Dual diagnosis treatment
Give Crest View Recovery Center a call today at 866.327.2505 to begin on this amazing journey to sobriety.