Dual Diagnosis in Crystal Lake, IL

When you are dealing with a drug or alcohol addiction, it can be easy to let everything else fall by the wayside, including the various other health conditions that you might experience when you have an addiction. The problem is that you are not a compartmentalized system of parts. If you want to overcome your addiction to drugs or alcohol, it is important to know about all of the different treatment programs and offerings available to you before you make any final decisions about your addiction treatment in Crystal Lake. One of the options that many people do not know much about is the option for dual diagnosis treatment programs. It is important to get to know about dual diagnosis in Crystal Lake as well as the options available in treatment for dual diagnosis. Then, you can be sure that if you need it, you can seek out dual diagnosis treatment programs for your dual diagnosis in Crystal Lake.

What Is Dual Diagnosis?

Of course, you will want to know and understand what a dual diagnosis in Crystal Lake is and how it affects a person before you can even consider treatment for dual diagnosis. When a person has a dual diagnosis in Crystal Lake, they are simultaneously dealing with a drug or alcohol addiction as well as a mental health disorder. It is important to keep in mind that when a person has a dual diagnosis, it does not mean that one of the conditions caused the other or that one preceded the other. The only fact it implies is that the two conditions are occurring at the same time.

Dual Diagnosis and Addiction -- Why the Two Go Hand in Hand

When it comes to mental health disorders and addiction, there is a reason that the two so often occur together. Both drug addictions and mental health disorders affect a person's basic brain chemistry. Because they both alter the chemical balance of the brain, these conditions interact with one another in complex and confounding ways. An addiction and a mental health disorder can affect the same areas of the brain or different areas. However, because the brain is an interconnected network of neurons, the effects both conditions have will have ripple effects. These ripple effects are the reasons that dual diagnosis treatment programs are so important.

Types of Mental Health Disorders

According to the DSM-5, which is essentially the bible for mental healthcare providers, there are hundreds of mental health disorders that a person can suffer from. Anyone of these mental health disorders can co-occur with a drug or alcohol addiction. However, the reality of mental health issues and addiction is that certain combinations occur more often than others.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Generalized anxiety disorder is the most prevalent mental health disorder in the United States today. When a person has generalized anxiety disorder, they will experience a variety of symptoms. Excessive worry, panic attacks, trouble relaxing, and insomnia can all be symptoms of this mental health disorder. If a person with generalized anxiety disorder also develops an addiction, it is often to a drug that will calm them down. This can include Xanax or other benzodiazepines, alcohol, or opiate drugs.

OCD

OCD, also known as obsessive-compulsive disorder, is a very damaging mental health issue. It causes focused and specific worries and fears that are then paired with compulsive actions and behaviors. If a person with OCD is obsessed with the possibility of someone breaking into their home, they will compulsively check the locks on their doors, likely have multiple locks on doors, and may have other elaborate and seemingly insane means of protecting their home from intrusions. People with OCD might abuse alcohol or opiate drugs to try to stop their compulsions and obsessions.

Depression

Another common mental health disorder is depression. Extreme sadness, feelings of hopelessness, fatigue, helplessness, and a lack of interest in activities or social engagements. Because depression makes a person feel so low in energy, many people with depression develop addictions to stimulants that can counteract the symptoms of depression. This might include Adderall, cocaine, or other such drugs.

These are only a few of the mental health disorders that tend to co-occur with addictions to drugs or alcohol. If you have a dual diagnosis in Crystal Lake, it is important to seek out treatment for dual diagnosis. Dual diagnosis treatment programs will help you to deal with the both the addiction and mental health disorder at the same time. The treatment for dual diagnosis allows you to deal with your addiction and mental health disorder in separate therapy sessions as well as in combined sessions so you can deal with issues that are interrelated as well as separate. Call Crystal Lake Drug Rehab Centers now for help (877) 804-1531.