When you are suffering from an addiction to drugs or alcohol as well as a mental health disorder, you may wonder which condition you should focus on for treatment first. However, what you may not realize is that there are options through rehabilitation centers that will allow you to treat both conditions at the same time. This form of treatment, known as dual diagnosis treatment, can be quite beneficial to people who are suffering from two conditions simultaneously. Get to know why dual diagnosis treatment is important and how the specific therapies can help you.

Reasons Dual Diagnosis Treatment Is Effective

Oftentimes, when a person has a mental health disorder as well as an addiction to drugs or alcohol, the two conditions develop in relation to each other. In other words, one condition often causes the other or contributes to the development of the other. For example, a person with depression may develop an addiction to alcohol because they drink to try to mask symptoms of depression. 

Because the two conditions are often interrelated, treating one without acknowledging the other can be quite ineffective. Even if a person completes one treatment program successfully, they will likely relapse due to the other condition. 

Dual diagnosis treatment is so effective precisely because it treats both conditions simultaneously. It also acknowledges and deals with the ways that mental health disorders and addictions relate to one another and interact. 

Dual Diagnosis Therapies

The therapies available in dual diagnosis treatment include treatments specific to both addiction treatment and mental health treatment. However, they are done with an awareness of both conditions in dual diagnosis treatment. 

Psychotherapy is generally one of the core therapies for dual diagnosis programs. It is a form of individual therapy that is largely based on guided discussions between the therapist and patient that allow the patient to talk through their issues in order to find the reasons behind the development of an addiction and mental health disorder and the ways that the two interact. 

Group therapy sessions are also a major part of dual diagnosis treatment programs. Supportive group therapies help recovering dual diagnosed patients to develop coping strategies to avoid substance abuse and to better channel negative emotions as they return to their regular lives after rehab. 

Sometimes, psychopharmacology is also employed as a treatment option in dual diagnosis treatment. However, the use of prescription drugs to treat a mental health disorder requires strict monitoring and control to prevent further substance abuse and addiction. As such, the patient may receive the medications in rehab to see how they affect the recovering dual diagnosed patient before they are allowed to return home with a full prescription. 

Now that you know more about dual diagnosis treatment available through rehabilitation centers, you can decide if this is the right treatment option for you. Contact a company like Cypress Cove Care Center for more information.