Dual Diagnosis Treatment in Conroe, TX

Dual diagnosis treatment in Conroe can help those who have co-existing disorders work through overlapping symptoms and the triggers that affect both their addiction and their other mental disorder. Dual diagnosis treatment programs are built to address the unique issues people with co-occurring disorders must work through in order to be successful in their addiction recovery and in properly dealing with their mental health issues. A dual diagnosis rehab center coordinates the care so that neither disorder takes a back seat when it comes to the patient's treatment.

Starting each day with the knowledge that you are a recovering addict or alcoholic can be a heavy burden but those who have been through detox, rehab, and are now working with like-minded people in an aftercare program can go forward with the knowledge that have made and continue to make positive changes in their life. For many people who have fought this battle, they've also had to deal with a co-occurring mental disorder, a situation referred to as a dual diagnosis.

What is Dual Diagnosis?

To begin, it is good to know, especially for family members, that either substance abuse or mental illness can happen first. A person who abuses alcohol and frequently binge drinks can develop mild to severe depression and someone who is bipolar may choose to self-medicate and use opiates, one of the most highly addictive categories of drugs, to escape the symptoms of their mental disorder. As for a textbook definition, although dual diagnosis itself is a broad category, it is defined as two co-occurring illnesses, in this case addiction and a mental disorder, existing in one person.

It is important for co-occurring disorders to be properly diagnosed and a patient be classified as having a dual diagnosis in order for them to receive the best possible care in dual diagnosis treatment programs. Most patients with co-existing disorders before the 1990's were not treated through dual diagnosis rehab but either had their illnesses treated entirely separately or had one or the other ignored and lumped in with the other disorder.

An example of the latter is a person who uses drugs or alcohol because they are depressed and because it makes them feel better becomes addicted to the substance they've decided to use. They now have two distinct illnesses and not one with the other as a symptom. This can be very confusing to patients and their families alike, and the professional who work with dual diagnosis treatment in Conroe are always available to answer questions about treatment and how disorders are related.

Dual Diagnosis and Addiction -- Why the Two Go Hand in Hand

As mentioned above, one of the key reasons that dual diagnosis and addiction go hand-in-hand is because many individuals with mental illnesses take it upon themselves to self-medicate. Self-medication is the process or practice where a person with an illness, including a mental disorder, decides to take drugs or drink in order to curb or dull their awareness of the symptoms of their mental disease.

The specialists who work in our dual diagnosis treatment programs in Conroe see this issue on a regular basis and are always on the lookout for the behavior to continue in order to help stop their patients from having setbacks. Self-medication can be something as benign-seeming as someone taking another family member's prescription pain medication in order to help them sleep when they are experiencing symptoms of their diagnosed anxiety.

When that seems to work and the feel they have found a cure to the symptoms they are experiencing, they may continue abusing prescription pain medications to the point where they are addicted. Again, as in the other examples, they are now faced with fighting two illnesses and will need to seek the help of one of the dual diagnosis treatment programs available to them. Thankfully, there is dual diagnosis treatment in Conroe for those in the area and in nearby towns.

Types of Mental Health Disorders

There are a lot of different mental health disorders and the best thing for anyone to do who is experiencing symptoms of any kind, mental health related or not, is to see a doctor and find out what is causing what they are experiencing. If a person is diagnosed with co-existing disorders, then the fact that dual diagnosis treatment in Conroe is available to them will help get them the attention they need.

To name a few mental disorders that may be associate with a dual diagnosis, there is schizophrenia, anxiety, panic disorders, various eating disorders, bipolar disorder, depression, and of course substance abuse and addiction.

Specialists in our drug rehab in Conroe are trained to work with addicts and alcoholics who have any type of mental disorder that co-exists as part of their dual diagnosis or help those who had a mental disorder already fight addiction. Call us now at (877) 804-1531.