woman gets dual diagnosis for addiction

Importance of Dual Diagnosis for Addiction Recovery

Dual diagnosis for addiction is a treatment method that simultaneously addresses substance use and a mental health disorder. Treating these co-occurring disorders together provides patients with a better chance of fully recovering and avoiding relapse. Historically, medical professionals and rehab centers focused their attention sequentially. This meant treating addiction by itself before attempting to address…

woman gets dual diagnosis for addiction recovery

What Treatments Are a Part of Dual Diagnosis?

Dual diagnosis treatment is a program that treats addiction and a co-occurring mental health disorder at the same time. This treatment option is in contrast to the historical norm, sequential treatment. In sequential treatment, patients received treatment for only their addiction before a treatment program addressed a co-occurring disorder such as depression. Unfortunately, that method…

young adult gets dual diagnosis treatment

How Dual Diagnosis Treatment Benefits Young Adults

Young adulthood is a period of emotional, biological, and mental development. It also is the life stage that sees the onset of mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and mood swings. The enormous change, matched with growing independence, that young adults often experience sometimes results in exposure to addictive substances. Exposure can…

woman gets support with mental health

How to Support Someone with Mental Illness

Depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and bipolar disorder are common forms of mental illness. A person with one of these disorders may find it hard to communicate what they are facing or how much it impacts their daily life. Often, they keep working, keep trying, and continue to fight their symptoms, but it’s exhausting and…

man celebrates mental health awareness

The Importance of Mental Health Awareness Month

May is Mental Health Month. The event, sponsored by the National Alliance of Mental Illness, encourages people to spend some time thinking about their mental health and what they may be able to do to support others who need it. Raising mental health awareness is critical due to the ongoing stigma that often leads people…