by Lisa Frederiksen
A dual diagnosis [aka co-occurring disorder] is the name of the diagnosis given when a person has both a mental illness and an addiction. According to the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), 50-75% of Americans who seek treatment for a substance abuse problem (and that’s only of those who seek treatment!) also have a co-occurring mental illness. The old method of treating these individuals was to “dry them out” — meaning to detox and put them through rehab — and then treat the mental illness (because it was believed one needed the substance to be out of the system before the mental illness could be identified). Not anymore.
According to the National Alliance of Mental Illness, (NAMI), “Dual diagnosis services [aka treatment for a dual diagnosis] integrate assistance for each condition, helping people recover from both in one setting, at the same time. Dual diagnosis services include different types of assistance that go beyond standard therapy or medication: assertive outreach, job and housing assistance, family counseling, even money and relationship management. The personalized treatment is viewed as long-term and can be begun at whatever stage of recovery the consumer is in. Positivity, hope and optimism are at the foundation of integrated treatment.” Read more >>>
To learn the status of treating co-occurring disorders [a dual diagnosis] in the U.S., read the Partnership at DrugFree.org | Join Together’s January 17, 2012, post, by Kris Van Hoof-Haines titled>>> “The Status of Treating Co-Occurring Disorders in the U.S.”
