Dual Diagnosis Treatment – What is it?
Dual diagnosis treatment is the best way for a person who has both a drug addiction and mental illness to completely recover. In order to successfully overcome the addiction, each individual must both deal with the root cause of their addictive behavior and manage their mental illness. The first step in dual diagnosis treatment is to break the substance abuse and mental illness cycle:
- Use drug of choice
- Experience being high
- Come down from high
- Experience anxiety and depression
- Take drug of choice to self-medicate
In some cases, the individual begins to use drugs to combat the symptoms of their mental illness. In other cases, the physical effects of substance abuse results in mental health issues. Most addictive substances have a chemical effect on the brain. When the substance is ingested, the brain is flooded with neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are naturally created by the body and are responsible for feelings of pleasure in the brain. When the brain attempts to regain equilibrium, neurotransmitters are purged from the brain’s tissue. This results in the addicted person being unable to feel pleasure and pursuing more drugs to continue those feelings. This is an especially large issue for those who have mental health concerns. Individuals with mental health concerns are more easily effected by these changes in brain chemistry. Dual diagnosis treatment focuses on treating both the addiction and the underlying mental health issue simultaneously. Both addiction treatment and mental health professionals coordinate care in order to provide dual diagnosis clients with the full support they need to overcome their addiction. Summit Estate Recovery Center provides drug addiction and dual diagnosis treatment in Northern California. Their luxury facility sits on 23 acres and focuses on treating each client as an individual. Clients are fully involved in the creation of their treatment plan to ensure that their treatment addresses their specific goals and objectives for treatment. They have a successful dual diagnosis program and are amongst the highest rated facilities in California. For additional information on the drug diagnosis program at Summit Estate, contact them today. Please submit your information using the link below and a Summit Estate team member will contact you. Or, call 800-701-6997 to speak with an admission counselor directly.