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Dual Diagnosis Treatment

26 Minutes

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CONTENTS

So, what is dual diagnosis treatment? Lasting recovery is all that you can hope for while going through mental health illnesses alongside Substance Use Disorder. The purpose of dual diagnosis treatment is to, first, diagnose you with the disorders that you are experiencing, and second, to treat you for the diagnosed disorders with the assistance of required psychotherapies, neuropsychological therapies, and/or medications. What are dual diagnosis treatment models? How is dual diagnosis recognized? How prevalent is dual diagnosis? What is the role of dual diagnosis therapy?

Two people sitting on chairs facing each other with a clipboard in one's hands.

The term “Dual Diagnosis” is applicable only when a person is diagnosed with a certain form of Substance Use Disorder and a mental health disorder.

Dual diagnosis codes are usually used by dual diagnosis treatment programs and facilities to signify the condition of the patient and the specific type of drug addiction that a dually diagnosed client is suffering from.

Dual diagnosis tends to unleash itself in multiple variations. Most commonly dually diagnosed patients suffer from:

Methamphetamine/ crystal meth addiction with mania, psychosis, and Parkinson’s disease
Benzodiazepines discontinuation with extreme anxiety disorders
Stimulants with PTSD and depression
Chronic alcoholism with memory impairment and cognitive impairment (Korsakoff’s Syndrome)

Dual treatment has two main goals. First, to identify whether the addiction came first or the mental health disorder. Until and unless a dual diagnosis program for treatment is effective and uses the assistance of specialized health professionals, this goal cannot be accomplished.

Related: Traumas and PTSD Therapies

The second goal is to treat the conditions. Generally, when the drug addiction is treated, a dually diagnosed client will only be left with a mental health condition. That is if the mental health disorder was the underlying cause of the drug addiction in the first place.

However, mental health illness will be eradicated completely after abstinence if drug addiction was what caused it.

Now, the question is, what makes a dual diagnosis treatment model effective?”

A dual diagnosis treatment model can only be effective if it integrates a system, whereby a dually diagnosed client receives dual treatment: Dual diagnosis addiction treatment and dual diagnosis mental health treatment.

Additional to this, it is important for an effective course of dual diagnosis treatment to formulate an environment, whereby one dually diagnosed client is treated by a professional team of providers working in close association.

Unfortunately, despite the effectiveness of an integrated dual diagnosis treatment model, there are a few challenges and barriers on the road to recovery, namely:

Healthcare providers may become biased towards dually diagnosed clients and begin to imagine that the client is difficult to treat.
The relationship between the mental health disorder and the Substance Use Disorder might not be addressed like it is meant to be.
Specialists might not be available at dual diagnosis intensive outpatient treatment programs.

Yet another barrier to dual diagnosis treatment is the denial of the clients. In almost all cases, the patient will find it impossible to admit and surrender to the mere idea of suffering from drug addiction and a mental health condition.

If depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or PTSD has forced your hand to begin substance abuse, you might find it shameful to admit how your dual diagnosis has affected your life.

Remember that you are not alone. There is nothing to be afraid of. Your mental health illnesses and your drug addictions do not define you.

Seeking an effective treatment for your dual diagnosis disorder might be the last resort for you. But, there is no better option than this.

As per research, 8% of the American population, aged between 16-18 years, is currently suffering from co-occurring disorders. This percentage encloses 17.5 million Americans.

Out of these 17.5 million Americans, 4 million are alcohol abusers.

Studies have also proven that 50% of dually diagnosed individuals do not acquire treatment. Is it a lack of awareness, or a mere deficiency of willpower? No one can say.

Only 30% of dually diagnosed patients receive treatment for either dually diagnosed drug addiction or dually diagnosed mental health conditions.

Sadly, just 12% of the population diagnosed with dual disorders acquire integrated treatment for both the dual diagnosis disorders.

With more than 1 in 4 people battling through drug addictions along with a mental health condition, worldwide, it is apparent from the aforementioned dual diagnosis statistics that the population receiving the desired integrated form of treatment for dual diagnosis disorders is negligible.

Moving on, there are a few mental disorders that are more common than the others. For instance, the lifetime prevalence of dual diagnosis is:

47-48% for patients with schizophrenia
56-58% for patients with bipolar disorder.
79-80% for people acquiring treatment for Substance Use Disorder

Dual diagnosis statistics also prove that 60-70% of the people who were diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder engaged in alcohol abuse. This signifies that mental health afflictions can become the cause of drug addictions.

Surprisingly, 20-30% of the time, chronic alcoholism was found to be associated with an antisocial personality disorder. This, on the other hand, signifies that drug addiction results in mental health afflictions.

People indulging in chronic alcohol abuse are 4 times more prone to developing depression and 3 times more exposed to the possibility of developing anxiety disorders.

If you have not noticed yet, there is a theme that the statistics show.

The dual diagnosis statistics signify that 70-80% of the people with Substance Use Disorder develop one or the other mental illness and vice versa.

Additionally, it is due to lack of awareness and lack of attention that the population suffering from dually diagnosed disorder chooses not to seek treatment.

For this reason, it is important for you to recognize when to opt for dual diagnosis treatment. It is just as important to understand dual diagnosis treatment models, dual diagnosis therapies, and the treatment options.

To figure out if you require signing in to a dual diagnosis program, it is suitable if you take a self-assessing approach.

By doing so, you will be able to monitor if you require a dual diagnosis treatment program or not.

To identify this, here a few warning signs to look out for:

Have you ever used alcohol or drugs to cope up with a depressive episode, anxiety, or traumatic memories?
Do you abuse recreational drugs or intake prescription drugs in higher-than-recommended doses to battle anxiety, manage pain, combat insomnia, or even lighten your mood?
Do you happen to notice a relationship between your substance abuse and mental health?
Do you have a family history of substance abuse and/or mental health illnesses?
Have you felt depressed, anxious, fearful, or irritable during the periods when you are not intoxicated with drugs or alcohol?
Have you ever sought treatment for either your mental health condition or drug addiction?
Does your mental health become aggravated when you are not on drugs?

Please understand that if you seem to get affirmative answers for any of the aforementioned self-assessment questions, it is time to seek a dual diagnosis intensive outpatient program or an inpatient dual diagnosis drug rehab.

Your final choice of dual diagnosis treatment will depend exclusively upon the intensity and severity of the co-occurring disorders.

Treating dual diagnosis is an intensive approach. To select a dual diagnosis treatment model and an effective dual diagnosis treatment plan to follow, it is important to understand the different types of models.

There are three dual diagnosis treatment models that can be used by different healthcare providers depending upon the treatment option you have selected – inpatient dual diagnosis treatment or outpatient dual diagnosis intensive treatment – as well as the type of substance use disorder and mental health disorder that you suffer from.

The three treatment models for dually diagnosed individuals are:

Sequential treatment model
Parallel treatment model
Integrated treatment model

The Sequential or Serial Model for Treating Dual Diagnosis

The serial treatment model for treating dual diagnosis works on a specific principle: Both the disorders – substance abuse and mental health – cannot be treated simultaneously.

If your healthcare providers undertake this treatment model for dual diagnosis, first your mental health condition will be treated.

Your providers will work separately. For this reason, a difference in opinion between your healthcare providers can damage any favorable outcomes of the dual treatment.

Even though this model has been around for ages, its effectiveness is doubtful.

Why? Simply because the cons outweigh the pros.

The only benefit of the serial dual diagnosis treatment model is that it allows healthcare providers to address each condition in detail.

However, is this always beneficial? Of course not!

The treatment of one disorder can often worsen the symptoms and prognosis of the other disorder.

Let’s undertake a scenario. If a dually diagnosed client suffers from PTSD and attains Prolonged Exposure Therapy to relive his traumatic memories, it can give rise to severe episodes of anxiety.

In this case, the client can opt for alcohol or other drugs like heroin or tranquilizers as a coping mechanism.

To summarize it in a simple way, the serial treatment model for dual diagnosis impairs the possibility of attaining a long-term solution for dual addiction and mental illness.

The Parallel Model for Treating Dual Diagnosis

This dual diagnosis treatment model has an upper hand over the serial model. Why so? Well, the parallel model for dual treatment has three rules:

Both the dually diagnosed disorders will be treated simultaneously.
The dually diagnosed substance abuse and the dually diagnosed mental health condition will not be treated by the same healthcare provider team.
Treatment for dual diagnosis disorders will not take place at the same treatment center.

Even though the parallel model excludes the possibility of damaging outcomes, it is still not a collaborative form of treatment.

Because of its lack of a comprehensive approach for a dual diagnosis treatment plan, its effectiveness is dubious.

Note: The serial and parallel models for treating dual diagnosis are rarely used. Intensive inpatient treatment for dual diagnosis, as well as dual diagnosis intensive outpatient program provide integrated care.

The Integrated Model for an Effective Dual Diagnosis Treatment Plan

If you are still wondering about the most effective approach for a dual diagnosis treatment program, let’s enlighten you.

The integrated model for treating dual diagnosis has been fabricated to undertake a comprehensive, collaborative, and efficient approach.

First of all, an integrated approach will aim to devise a dual diagnosis treatment plan to treat both the dually diagnosed disorders at the same time.

The reason being? So that none of the medications or dual diagnosis therapies for one disorder aggravate the other disorder.

This improves the possibility of complete redemption from dual diagnosis disorders.

Secondly, the integrated model enables the healthcare providers to assemble one team to treat both disorders.

In this manner, the providers can collaborate with one another to formulate a dual diagnosis treatment program that adheres to your specific needs.

Based on the integrated model of dual diagnosis treatment there are a few dual diagnosis therapies that are more common for psychological treatment and neuropsychological treatment. These include, but are not limited to:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
Contingency Management (CM)
Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

As for the pharmacotherapy, your dual diagnosis psychiatrist might prescribe you the following, among others:

Sleeping aid
Antidepressants
Anti-Anxiety medications
Anti-psychotics
Benzodiazepines
Tranquilizers

Although a dual diagnosis treatment plan will choose psychotherapies and pharmacotherapies as per the type of mental health disorder and Substance Use Disorder that you are battling with, the aforementioned possibilities are the most common.

Note: The list of psychotherapies and medications for your dual diagnosis treatment can vary endlessly.

As per the integrated model, the diagnosis has to be confirmed before the therapy can begin. Your dual diagnosis psychiatrist will be responsible for analyzing which disorder arose because of the other.

Sadly, dual diagnosis treatment planning is not simple. However, as long as you are under the umbrella of a dual diagnosis psychiatrist and a healthcare provider team, an integrated model approach will ensure that you acquire the treatment that you deserve.

So, your dual diagnosis psychiatrist is most likely to choose dual diagnosis therapies that help your chemical dependence, along with your mental health issues.

Let’s dive into the details.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Treatment for Dual Diagnosis Disorders

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a form of talk therapy that enables a dually diagnosed client to acknowledge the thoughts, emotions, and external triggers that cause your mental health to become a reason for substance abuse, or vice versa.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can be used for the following dually diagnosed drug addictions:

Opioids addiction (e.g. morphine)
Illicit drug addiction (e.g. cocaine, marijuana, meth)
Sleeping pill addiction (e.g. Ambien)
Stimulants addiction (e.g. antidepressants)
Benzodiazepines addiction (e.g. Valium)

As for the dually diagnosed mental health disorders, CBT can treat:

Anxiety
Depression
Eating disorders (Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa)
Schizophrenia
PTSD
Borderline Personality Disorder

A common question that usually circulates is, “what does Cognitive Behavioral Therapy target during dual diagnosis therapy?”

Well, the main target of CBT is to reboot your mind to eliminate the pessimistic side of you.

If you tend to suffer from the aforementioned mental health disorders along with the drug addictions that CBT can treat, the goal of your dual diagnosis psychiatrist will not be to eradicate your addiction or mental illness.

Instead, the goal of the dual diagnosis psychiatrist will be to recognize the negative thoughts that turn into aggressive behavior and drug abuse.

This will ultimately and automatically rid you of the addiction and the mental health disorder.

This is the reason that CBT only has been altered and adapted to different types of therapies, like Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy for borderline personality disorder, Prolonged Exposure Therapy for traumatic treatment, Cognitive Therapy for cocaine addiction, etc.

The adaptations of CBT as a dual diagnosis therapy affirm that it is the most effective approach for the treatment of dual diagnosis disorders.

For dual treatment, your Cognitive Behavioral Treatment will last for at least 16-18 weeks.

Note: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can be a form of individual treatment, as well as group treatment.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy for Dual Treatment

Despite the fact that Dialectical Behavioral Therapy is an adaptation of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, it works independently.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy works by teaching you the required skills for battling drug addiction and a co-occurring mental health disorder. It also identifies the toxic thought patterns that enunciate demeaning and self-destructive behavior.

Because DBT was first used to treat borderline personality disorder, it became an effective method to treat dual diagnosis.

To motivate you for sparking a change in your life, DBT, as a dual diagnosis therapy, can treat the following drug addictions:

Illicit drug addictions (marijuana, cocaine, meth, heroin)
Sleeping aid addiction (Ambien)

If these drug addictions co-occur with the following, DBT will be the ideal course of treatment:

Borderline personality disorder
Depression
Anxiety
Mood disorders

When a client is dually diagnosed, the dual diagnosis treatment program must adhere to eliminate the contradiction between recognition of the root cause of dual diagnosis and the improvement of the condition.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy tends to educate a dually diagnosed client about this contradiction to ensure that the patient knows why a change is required.

The dual diagnosis psychiatrist works with a dually diagnosed client to eliminate the discrepancies between self-acceptance and motivation for change.

Once a dually diagnosed patient exits from the inherent land of denial, the acceptance of drug addiction and mental illness motivates the patient to bring about a life-changing decision.

For this reason, DBT also teaches the skills that are required by the patients for dual diagnosis treatment.

Contingency Management for Treating Dual Diagnosis

Contingency Management is a reward-based, dual diagnosis therapy. Although this form of therapy has proven to be promising for drug addiction treatment, abstinence, and relapse prevention, recent research concludes that an integrated system of care must undertake Contingency Management for dual disorders.

Contingency Management is a neurological and psychological approach towards therapy. But, how so?

Contingency Management is adherent to the ideology that extrinsic, tangible rewards can aid drug relapse prevention and improve psychological disorders.

Extrinsic rewards tend to motivate dually diagnosed clients to remain sober. This is the psychological aspect.

So, after receiving the reward, the human brain releases large quantities of dopamine. And what does dopamine do? It creates the feeling of happiness, euphoria, and satisfaction. This is the neurological aspect.

Because the “reward hormone” dopamine produces the same euphoric emotions as drugs, dually diagnosed clients tend to remain abstinent.

Additionally, increased amounts of dopamine can eradicate the negative thoughts and trigger happy emotions, thus, alleviating the mental health conditions like:

Major depressive disorder
Anxiety
Bipolar disorder
Psychosis

Most commonly, these conditions are found in close association with:

Stimulants addiction
Opioids addiction
Sleeping aid addiction

Contingency Management is the ideal course of action at a dual diagnosis intensive outpatient program.

Note: Contingency Management decreases the focus of the dually diagnosed patient from drug cravings to tangible rewards. This is yet another psychological aspect of this therapy.

Motivational Enhancement Therapy as a Dual Diagnosis Treatment Plan

Generally, dually diagnosed patients have a negative outlook towards life because of their addiction and mental health.

They might view their families as enemies. Some dually diagnosed clients might even deny opening up to a dual diagnosis psychiatrist.

When treating dual diagnosis mental health issues and dual diagnosis addiction, motivation for change is extremely important.

MET is most suitable for stimulant drug addiction and illicit drug addiction when it is found in a comorbid condition with depression and anxiety disorders.

The only way that a dual diagnosis psychiatrist can change the inherently negative outlook of the dually diagnosed clients is by educating them about the possibly disastrous outcomes of dual diagnosis.

As the dually diagnosed client becomes familiar with the pros and cons of mental health conditions co-occurring with drug addiction, a spark of motivation for behavioral change is inevitable.

Later on, the dual diagnosis psychiatrist and the dually diagnosed patient collaborate to form a long-term strategy to cope up with the mental health condition, while also developing skills to prevent relapses.

The only deficiency in the model of Motivational Enhancement Therapy is that it cannot work for dually diagnosed individuals who lack the cognition for change.

To improve the outcomes of MET, it should be delivered in combination with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

Note: This form of therapy can also be included in the dual diagnosis treatment plan as family therapy. Conducting MET with the family can provide robust outcomes.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing for Co-Occurring Disorders in Trauma Victims.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), like Contingency Management, is a therapeutic approach that focuses on neurological, as well as the psychological, aspects of dual diagnosis treatment.

1 in 4 individuals who experience trauma tends to develop PTSD. Similarly, almost 30-50% of PTSD patients develop the following drug addictions:

Stimulant drug addiction (e.g. antidepressants)
Sleeping aid addiction (e.g. Ambien)
Illicit drug addiction (Ecstasy)

EMDR tends to trigger neurological pathways within the brain to decrease the fear and paranoia associated with trauma-related memories.

It uses repetitive eye movements to decrease stimulation in the brain areas related to anxiety and stress.

Thus, EMDR treats PTSD. And by doing so, it eliminates the motive of the dually diagnosed clients to engage in drug abuse as a coping mechanism.

To put it differently, EMDR is an approach that treats mental health condition. So, it can only work if drug addiction is a consequence of a mental health disorder. Otherwise, EMDR will fail.

Note: This dual diagnosis therapy mainly works for traumatic memories. It might work for anxiety and depression if they arise from traumatic memories.

Because dual diagnosis is an intense disorder, it cannot be merely treated with therapies. Medications for dual diagnosis are just as important.

During dual diagnosis treatment, your dual diagnosis psychiatrist might prescribe medications to treat anxiety, depression, psychosis, insomnia, etc.

Remember that the dual diagnosis treatment plan can include medications to treat your mental health disorder, along with your withdrawal symptoms. That is, as long as the function of the medications does not contradict one another.

For instance, a sleeping aid can help battle insomnia due to PTSD, as well as the withdrawal symptoms of marijuana.

However, it is noteworthy that the medications for dual diagnosis treatment have various side effects. Some side effects of the common medications used for dual diagnosis treatment revolve around:

Side Effects of Antidepressants

The common side effects of antidepressants, when used for dual diagnosis, are:

Headache
Nausea
Dry mouth
Insomnia
Diarrhea or constipation
Fatigue
Weight gain
Profuse sweating
Suicidal tendencies

Side Effects of Anti-Anxiety Medications

Anti-anxiety medications can cause:

Agitation
Indigestion
Diarrhea
Constipation
Weight loss
Loss of appetite
Nausea
Hallucinations
Blurred vision

Side Effects of Antipsychotics

Antipsychotics are known for the following side effects:

Drowsiness
Dizziness
Restlessness
Weight gain
Nausea
Vomiting
Cognitive impairment

Side Effects of Sleeping Pills

The most common side effect of sleeping pills is feeling tired throughout the day, alongside the following:

Tingling feelings in the limbs
Daytime drowsiness
Dry mouth
Headache
Heartburn
Sleepwalking
Vivid dreams

Now that we have addressed how therapies and medications work for dual diagnosis, it is time to consider a comprehensive comparison between the two.

Finding the right balance between dual diagnosis therapies and medications can be extremely problematic. Why? Let’s explore.

First things first: dual diagnosis therapies are simple approaches. They either undertake a psychological perspective, a neurological perspective, or both.

Consequently, by doing so, therapies for dual diagnosis can investigate if the mental health disorder has given rise to drug addiction, or the substance abuse has paved a way towards mental health destruction.

If it is not for dual diagnosis therapies, a dual diagnosis psychiatrist will never be able to devise the perfect dual diagnosis treatment program.

For this reason, it is safe to say that dual diagnosis therapies are proactive approaches to solve the problem of co-occurring disorders.

Opposite to this, medications for dual diagnosis are mere tools to obscure one condition till the other is treated. What is the consequence of this?

The mental health disorder or drug addiction can arise again if the sole approach of medication treatment for dual diagnosis is adopted.

Secondly, therapies for dual diagnosis tend to directly challenge the negative thought process of a dually diagnosed client. Medications, on the other hand, make the thoughts of the client numb.

This is the worst thing that can happen to a dually diagnosed client. That is because medications completely deny the possibility of acknowledging the underlying condition for dual diagnosis.

If a dual diagnosis psychiatrist prescribes medications without conducting therapies, the dilemma of “what came first – the addiction or the mental illness?” will persist forever.

Thirdly, the fact that pharmacotherapy uses anti-anxiety, antidepressants, sleeping pills, benzos, etc. for dual diagnosis changes everything!

This is for two reasons. First of all, medications for dual diagnosis bring their side effects along with them. The list of potential side effects can go on forever. Before you realize it, you might develop other physical health afflictions by the time you treat the dual diagnosis.

Second of all, falling prey to prescription drug abuse is fairly possible if you begin to consume medications for dual diagnosis.

You might get rid of your previous addiction, but you will definitely fail to function without the medications prescribed to you in the process.

For these reasons, dual diagnosis therapy has the upper hand. Neither does it have any side effects, nor can it give rise to dependence.

So, there is no perfect balance when it comes to the pros and cons of dual diagnosis therapy and medications.

The scales will always tip in the direction of dual diagnosis therapy.

A dual diagnosis treatment can be acquired at a dual diagnosis intensive outpatient program. Generally, this type of dual diagnosis drug rehab lasts for at least 8-10 weeks.

On each weekday, the dually diagnosed clients are called to attend group therapies, individual therapies, and family therapies.

Medication management is also delivered.

However, the effectiveness of a dual diagnosis intensive outpatient program is limited for a few reasons.

Dual diagnosis is an extreme condition. Suffering from drug addiction along with mental health disorders cannot be taken lightly. Unfortunately, even an intensive outpatient program might not suffice if your condition is getting worse each passing day.

However, a dual diagnosis intensive outpatient program can prove beneficial if, and only if, you tend to fulfill the following criteria:

Your drug addiction has just developed.
You have just begun noticing mental health illness symptoms.
Your condition is not deteriorating day by day.
You can only afford an outpatient treatment center.
You cannot afford to skip academics or your job.

The reason that a dual diagnosis intensive outpatient program might not be the ideal approach is that dual disorders require constant support and observation.

This is especially important when medications are being prescribed to treat either condition.

Moreover, an outpatient program for dual diagnosis treatment might not be able to sufficiently cut you off from the triggers that increase your drug cravings or aggravate your mental health.

Lastly, an intensive outpatient program for dual diagnosis will not have a structured dual diagnosis treatment plan.

Dual diagnosis addiction treatment and dual diagnosis mental health treatment can be effectively achieved at a residential, live-in treatment center, wherein you can receive continuous intensive inpatient treatment.

An inpatient dual diagnosis drug rehab tends to free you from the surroundings of your everyday life, thus, giving you a chance to overcome the triggers that aggravate your addiction and/or mental health.

Here is what you can expect at an intensive inpatient dual diagnosis treatment center:

Regular education about substance abuse and mental health disorders that you are suffering from.
Regular therapies (individual, family, and group)
24/7 attention from a dual diagnosis psychiatrist
A structured dual diagnosis treatment plan
Support from fellow members at the dual diagnosis drug rehab
Complete management of triggers, coping mechanisms, and mental health
Around-the-clock access to your healthcare providers and dual diagnosis psychiatrists.

The nature of co-occurring disorders is challenging, even for specialists. An inpatient dual diagnosis treatment can be the ideal option for you if your life is bound by mental health issues and addiction.

The extent and intensity of your condition will count as a condition for you to be admitted into an intensive inpatient treatment program for dual diagnosis.

An integrated treatment model for dual diagnosis can be structured collaboratively and effectively at a dual diagnosis inpatient treatment program.

If you happen to be stressed and worried about your loved ones, we are here to provide you with the best inpatient treatment for dual diagnosis disorders.

The Balance Luxury Rehab professional team incorporates an integrated framework to assist your loved ones in overcoming the hurdles that halt their progress in life. Trust in us for the ideal mental health and addiction luxury inpatient treatment.

A luxury inpatient treatment for dual diagnosis has one vision: To provide excellent, high-end treatment to the dually diagnosed clients in a homely, comforting, warm environment.

The facilities at a luxury inpatient dual diagnosis center differ from that of a traditional inpatient center. So does the quality of healthcare.

The professional, well-trained staff at a luxury inpatient center for dual diagnosis is especially guided to deal with dually diagnosed patients.

Furthermore, treatment for dual diagnosis disorders requires an environment that formulates the best outcomes.

For this reason, luxury dual diagnosis drug rehabs and mental health rehabs tend to provide services and facilities that add on to relaxation and comfort.

Every client has a private villa at a luxury program for intensive inpatient treatment for dual diagnosis disorders, along with:

Absolute privacy
Private chef
Driver
Personal housekeeping
Recreational facilities: a big garden, pool, golf, etc.
Yoga therapy
Meditation
Massage therapy
Art and music therapy

With the assistance of our providers, a perfect, facilitated, luxury treatment can give you a dual diagnosis-free life.

Dual diagnosis can be treated. It might require time and effort, but you can return to a normal life.

However, unless you begin to make some lifestyle changes, no amount of therapies or medications for dual diagnosis will be able to help you. For this reason, you must devise a plan to introduce certain changes to your life.

Here a few tips to acknowledge and incorporate:

Manage stress: Drug abuse and chronic alcoholism can often force you to climb on a mountain of stress. However, stress management skills can go a long way in aiding you during the dual diagnosis treatment. Whether it is through breathing exercises, meditation, yoga, or something as simple as reading a book, always find some time to enhance your relaxation.

Coping up without drug abuse: Mental health disorders require you to cope up with your surroundings. While you might have a habit to turn to drugs to cope up with emotional baggage, turn your back on drug abuse. Devise new coping strategies with your dual diagnosis psychiatrist and practice those strategies continually.

Become familiar with your triggers: Even after an extensive period of inpatient dual diagnosis treatment, you might not become completely unresponsive towards your triggers. So, you need to remember your triggers and have an action plan to eradicate them when you are exposed to them.

Build new connections: Boycotting people who trigger drug abuse will be an optimal option. Simultaneously, you should focus on becoming more social. Make your family a priority, find new people every day and become friends with them, and stay involved in support groups even after your dual diagnosis has been treated. Your friends, family, and peers will grant you the strength and courage to stay on the right track.

Stay healthy: You must develop the habit of exercising regularly and eating healthy foods. Including more vegetables and fruits in your diet will keep you energized. Begin planning your meals. At the same time, exercise can improve your ability to relax.

So, the bottom line is, dual diagnosis can be treated successfully. The only condition is that the treatment must be based on an integrated dual diagnosis treatment model.

Dual diagnosis therapies can vary depending upon your condition. But, the healthcare providers will first consider the possibility of conducting Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Contingency Management, Motivational Enhancement Therapy, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing.

Along with this, depending upon your condition, the dual diagnosis psychiatrist will most likely prescribe you certain medications.

However, you must remember that therapies can prove more effective and beneficial than medications.

In the end, the outcomes of your treatment will depend upon the intensity of dually diagnosed disorders, the severity of dual diagnosis substance abuse, and the type of treatment center you opt for.

While an inpatient dual diagnosis treatment program is the ideal route, a dual diagnosis intensive outpatient program might help to some extent.

The Balance specialize in providing high-end and celebrity treatment with our luxury inpatient program. Contact us and receive the best luxury treatment and inpatient therapies that can change your life.

One step in our direction and you will forever cherish each moment to come with the assistance of our 5-star treatment facility.

FAQs

What is dual diagnosis treatment?

Dual diagnosis is a procedure of diagnosing a co-occurring disorder. It refers to the condition when a mental health disorder co-occurs with drug addiction. Treating dual diagnosis is dependent on an integrated model which implies that addiction and mental health disorders should be treated simultaneously.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Contingency Management, Motivational Enhancement Therapy, and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing are a few commonly used approaches to treat dual diagnosis. Medications like a sleeping aid, benzos, antidepressants, etc. are also used.

What is better for treating dual diagnosis – therapy or medication?

Therapy is the ideal treatment for dual diagnosis because it addresses the underlying causes, the thought process, and the behavioral patterns in detail, while medication merely masks them. Therapies do not have side effects. On the other hand, medications have severe side effects and can cause you to become addicted.

What is an inpatient dual diagnosis treatment center?

A dual diagnosis inpatient treatment program is a live-in facility, whereby a structured, integrated treatment is provided for drug addiction and mental health disorders simultaneously.

If you are seeking effective 5-star and luxury inpatient treatment for dual diagnosis for your loved ones, we can provide high-end treatment that is client-centered and provides optimal outcomes.

HOW THE BALANCE CAN HELP WITH Dual Diagnosis

The Balance RehabClinic is a leading provider of luxury addiction and mental health treatment for affluent individuals and their families, offering a blend of innovative science and holistic methods with unparalleled individualised care.

A UNIQUE METHOD TREATING Dual Diagnosis

a successful and proven concept focusing on underlying causes

ONE CLIENT AT A TIME

TAILORED LASTING APPROACH

BIOCHEMICAL RESTORATION

MULTI-DISCIPLINARY & HOLISTIC

TECHNOLOGY BASED TREATMENT

TRAUMA INFORMED THERAPY

Dual Diagnosis TREATMENT LASTING APPROACH

0 Before

Send Admission Request

0 Before

Define Treatment Goals

1 week

Assessments & Detox

1-4 week

Psychological & Holistic Therapy

4 week

Family Therapy

5-8 week

Aftercare

12+ week

Refresher Visit

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