The Kind of Dual Diagnosis Treatment That Is Needed
Dual diagnosis treatment is not adequate in most areas of this country. Very seldom is there a place where people with mental health and substance abuse issues can go to get help for both problems. Programs for dual diagnosis rehab simply do not exist in most places.
Right now, dual diagnosis treatment is carried out in either drug rehab programs or in mental health facilities. A drug rehab program will focus on the dual diagnosis rehab, but will not address the ongoing mental health issues that complicate the person’s condition. A program like this will be more concerned with the drug abuse.
On the other hand, a mental health institution does not make a good dual diagnosis rehab facility. It is too involved with the psychiatric disorders to recognize and treat symptoms of drug abuse. Disorders like schizophrenia and bipolar are analyzed the same as they would be in clean and sober patients. Dual diagnosis treatment requires more.
To have truly effective dual diagnosis rehab, it is necessary to have a place where people with both conditions can go. At the present time, drug addicts with mental conditions may be sent back and forth from drug rehab to mental facilities and back again. They may even be denied treatment from both sources. Adequate dual diagnosis treatment would eliminate this problem.
Adequate dual diagnosis rehab would involve having a team of professionals that are trained in both the treatment of substance abuse and of mental disorders. They would need to have knowledge of how the two factors can be used together in dual diagnosis treatment.
Dual diagnosis rehab can be encouraged by the use of special 12-Step programs, like the 12 Steps of Dual Recovery Anonymous, that are catered to people with both problems. These support groups can be based on the involvement of people who have schizophrenia, bipolar, or other disorders. They can come together to discuss how their dual diagnosis treatment is going.
It is extremely difficult to cope with the demands of dealing with both a mental illness and a drug or alcohol abuse problem. A good dual diagnosis treatment program will take this into account. A support group will be rallied and made to understand the complexity of the situation.
Dual diagnosis rehab should be a self-paced program. You cannot force a person with a mental illness to get better faster. Dual diagnosis treatment should take that into account. Patients should be allowed the time to learn new ways to think and behave. These new habits will help them with their dual diagnosis treatment. They will also help them with their mental illness for years to come.
Dual diagnosis treatment must not stop with release from a dual diagnosis rehab facility. It needs to go on for relapse prevention and general continued support. When such centers are available, they should provide good aftercare.
If the kind of dual diagnosis treatment centers needed were available, then many people would be served that do not now have help. Dual diagnosis rehab must be made available if drug addiction in this country is to be overcome. |
