Dual Diagnosis Treatment In Orange County

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For most people who are dealing with an addiction, seeking help takes time and a serious commitment to getting better. But many may be surprised to find that they also suffer from a co-occurring mental health condition along with their addiction. Roughly half of all people who abuse substances have a dual diagnosis, where they have both a mental health and substance use disorder. Pacific Sands Recovery offers dual diagnosis treatment near Santa Ana, Irvine and Costa Mesa, California for this reason.

What is a Dual Diagnosis?

A dual diagnosis occurs when someone has co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders. Since each of these conditions share similar risk factors, many people with these risk factors have both disorders. In fact, for some, their mental health condition appeared first. In contrast, for others, their addiction appeared first.

Regardless of which came first, each disorder tends to worsen the other. For instance, some people self-medicate their mental health symptoms with drugs or alcohol. As a result, they mask their symptoms and don’t learn how to cope in a healthy way.

On the other hand, long-term substance abuse can change the brain leading to a mental illness. In order to deal with an emerging mental health issue, the person might use more substances.

Consequently, they may also begin using more potent drugs. Fortunately, the brain can heal and recover from substance abuse. This can lead to better mental health outcomes. Fortunately, dual diagnosis treatment in Orange County can help those with addiction and mental illness.

What is Dual Diagnosis Treatment?

Dual diagnosis treatment addresses both addiction and mental health disorders at the same time. In this way, a person can get all the help they need. This is because both disorders are related. During dual diagnosis treatment, a person must first detox from drugs or alcohol. Often, any mental health symptoms that a person masked will return during detox. Hence, therapy and counseling are vital during detox for this reason.

Without treating both disorders, a person could be more likely to relapse or use other unhealthy behaviors to cope. For example, let’s say a person gets sober but doesn’t cope with co-occurring depression. They may engage in a behavioral addiction like gambling or sex addiction. Dual diagnosis treatment ensures each person deals with their addiction and the underlying causes.

Dual diagnosis treatment in Orange County combines therapy and psychiatry with an addiction treatment plan. Therefore, a person could have individual and group therapy. Both allow them to discuss the triggers of their addiction and mental illness. A person might also use medications like anti-depressants or mood stabilizers as part of their treatment.

Signs and Symptoms of Dual Diagnosis

Typically, many people seeking help for their addiction aren’t aware they have mental health symptoms. Additionally, they don’t realize how serious they are. Oftentimes, the symptoms of dual diagnosis are similar to mental disorders or addiction. For example, someone abusing heroin may also have untreated depression.

The following are common signs and symptoms of a dual diagnosis:

Avoiding friends or family members
Spending a lot of time alone
Sudden and significant weight gain or loss
Irritability and agitation
Outbursts of anger or violence
Sleeping too much or too little
Constant feelings of worry and doubt
Difficulty thinking or concentrating
Hallucinations, paranoia, or delusions
Persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, worthlessness, or despair
Sudden changes in energy levels or moods
Self-harming behaviors such as cutting or burning
Suicidal thoughts, behaviors, or ideations
Self-medicating these symptoms with drugs or alcohol

All of these symptoms can diminish a person’s quality of life, no matter the cause. Therefore, seeking help from a professional can help. People can learn how to understand what is occurring and how to treat it. In addition, it is vital to know the risk factors of a dual diagnosis. This, in turn helps provide the causes of a person’s symptoms.

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Risk Factors for Dual Diagnosis

Understanding the connection between mental health issues and addiction when seeking dual diagnosis treatment in Orange County is important. As such, this is a vital part of getting the right treatment for both issues.

The 3 common risk factors that contribute to dual diagnosis are:

Both addiction and mental health disorders can be caused by genetics, stress, environmental factors, and emotional or physical trauma.
Many people with mental health issues turn to drugs or alcohol in an effort to self-medicate their symptoms.
Substance abuse and addiction can actually lead to a mental health disorder. This happens because of how addiction changes your brain. This makes certain mental health issues more likely to develop.

There is no such thing as just one reason or cause that someone ends up with a dual diagnosis. Just like the many complications in life that can lead to an addiction, many different things can influence a dual diagnosis.

What Mental Illnesses are Included in Dual Diagnosis?

While many specialized treatment professionals treat specific disorders, it is not enough to work on only 1 disorder or condition. Our addiction treatment team will help uncover a co-occurring mental health disorder—whether or not a person has previously been diagnosed with a mental health disorder.

Common mental health conditions diagnosed during dual diagnosis treatment in Orange County include the following:

Borderline Personality Disorder

Common Symptoms:

An overwhelming fear of abandonment
A pattern of unstable relationships
Rapid changes in self-identity
Stress-induced paranoia
Impulsive and risky behavior
Self-harming behaviors
Mood swings
Feelings of emptiness
Intense anger

Major Depressive Disorder

Common Symptoms:

Intense feelings of sadness
Angry outbursts
Loss of interest in pleasurable activities
Fatigue
Sleep problems
Appetite changes
Slowed thinking
Suicidal thoughts
Pains and ailments with no physical cause

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

Common Symptoms:

Intrusive, unwanted, and distressing thoughts
Thoughts of losing control and engaging in aggression or violence
Trouble dealing with uncertainty
Need for things to be neat and orderly
Fear of dirt and germs
Ritualistic behaviors, patterns, or thoughts

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Common Symptoms:

Persistent and intense worrying
Indecisiveness
Difficulty concentrating
Tiredness
Trouble sleeping
Muscle tension
Nervousness
Nausea
Irritability

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Common Symptoms:

Intrusive, unwanted memories
Mentally reliving traumatic events (flashbacks)
Intense nightmares
Severe emotional distress
Avoiding people, places, and conversations related to traumatic events
Hopelessness
Feeling detached
Difficulty maintaining close relationships

Bipolar Disorder

Common Symptoms:

Swings between mania or hypomania and depression
Unpredictable changes in mood or behavior
Trouble sleeping
Feeling full of energy and elated
“Crashing” into depression after a manic phase

The Connection Between Addiction and Mental Health

Dual diagnosis is complex. Nevertheless, our staff can help clients struggling with substance abuse and mental illness. Addiction and mental illness both have a cyclical nature. As a result, this often leaves individuals feeling caught in an endless loop.

Substance abuse treatment alone is often not as effective because it is hard to discern where the true cause lies. Therefore, the key to success when a person has a dual diagnosis is also receiving appropriate treatment for their mental health condition. Only then can they find the lasting recovery they need to get back to living a happy and healthy life.