patient beginning mental health treatment

Does Mental Health Treatment Come Before Addiction Treatment?

Many people struggle with mental health and addiction at the same time. In these situations, people have co-occurring disorders. At face value, it may seem best to treat mental health and addiction separately, and for decades, that was the norm. Practitioners would address a mental health disorder and move on to dealing with addiction after…

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…