Dual Diagnosis

Dual Diagnosis

Today, scientists and doctors know how important it is for people to get care for a substance use disorder and a mental illness at the same time. Through a dual diagnosis treatment center, individuals can get a professional diagnosis for all of their conditions. Once they know what the issues are, they can immediately start treating them.

How Common Is a Dual Diagnosis?

In 2017, an estimated 8.5 million people had a co-occurring illness. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a total of one out of four people with a mental health disorder had an addiction. Unfortunately, when people went to get treatment, only 8.3 percent of people received treatment for both disorders.

A dual diagnosis treatment center helps people get treatment for mental illness and an addiction at the same time. Some of the most common co-occurring illnesses are depression, anxiety, and borderline personality disorder. People may also suffer from issues like schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, and eating disorders.

Why Is Self-Medication Dangerous?

When someone has a problem with substance use and mental illness, they need to seek out the best dual diagnosis treatment program in North Carolina. Often, people use drugs and alcohol to self-medicate for their mental illness. These drugs only make them feel better temporarily. Because the effects wear off, the individual has to use repeatedly to alleviate the symptoms of their mental illness.

Self-medication is dangerous because it can lead to an addiction or even an overdose. It also makes treatment harder because the individual has to treat an addiction and the mental illness. If they do not treat both problems at a dual diagnosis treatment center, they are more likely to have a relapse.