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SponsoredChronic alcohol abuse causes widespread damage to your body and mind. Consequently, people struggling with alcoholism often suffer from chronic medical conditions and/or psychological disorders. Experts estimate that between 40% and 60% of alcoholics also have some form of mental illness.
Dual diagnosis is the medical term used to describe cases where alcoholism and mental illness are co-occurring. During alcohol recovery, people affected by dual diagnosis have an especially difficult time maintaining abstinence when the mental health condition is not addressed. For this reason and more, when you are seeking alcohol treatment, there are certain factors you should consider in the treatment program.
Alcohol’s Psychological Effects
Like all addictive substances, alcohol alters normal chemical processes in the brain. With chronic alcohol use, these effects change how your brain works and your mind thinks.
The effects of alcoholism on a person’s psychological makeup create a form of substance-induced mental illness. Over time, alcohol changes a person’s priorities and drives compulsive drinking behavior, in spite of the negative consequences that result. This compulsive behavior is characteristic of mental illness in general.
Dual Diagnosis Conditions
Both alcoholism and mental illness stem from chemical imbalances in the brain. When these two conditions co-exist, they interact chemically. In effect, symptoms of alcoholism aggravate symptoms brought on by mental illness and vice versa.
Types of mental illness most often encountered in dual diagnosis treatment include:
- Depression
- Anxiety disorders
- Schizophrenia
- Bipolar disorder
Over time, alcoholism and mental illness become enmeshed with symptom severity worsening for both conditions.
Treatment Considerations for Dual Diagnosis Conditions
Individualized Treatment Approach
For people seeking dual diagnosis treatment, programs offering a “one-size-fits-all” treatment approach cannot address your unique needs and challenges. In cases of dual diagnosis, alcoholism may precede and cause mental illness, or mental illness may drive a person to drink.
In order to develop an effective treatment plan, your program must evaluate the circumstances that triggered your condition.
Treatment programs offering individualized care base their approach on information gathered during a comprehensive assessment stage. Finding a treatment program that offers an individualized approach offers the best chance of a successful recovery.
Behavioral Treatments
Behavioral-based dual diagnosis treatment interventions address the faulty thinking patterns and behaviors that result from alcohol addiction and mental illness. While addiction-based treatments may focus more on undoing the belief systems that support alcoholism, these interventions inevitably tie in with treatments that address symptoms of mental illness.
Ultimately, effective dual diagnosis treatment programs offer an integrated treatment approach that works to treat both conditions as one rather than as separate disorders.
Medication Treatments
Medication-based dual diagnosis treatment interventions can take any number of forms, as medication can be used to treat alcoholism as well as mental illness. As dual diagnosis conditions tend to develop in cases of long-term alcohol abuse, it’s likely a person will require both medication and behavioral-based treatment as opposed to just behavioral-based treatment interventions.
Overall, alcoholism and dual diagnosis treatment require a comprehensive treatment approach that can be lengthy. For these reasons, it’s important to ensure the program you choose has ample experience in dealing with dual diagnosis conditions.