photo credit: Daquella manera

Change is society can be slow, especially for something that has so many unknowns. The mainstream practice for dual diagnosis treatment used to be treat the addiction then treat the mental disorder. Now researchers and professional are realizing that there is a much better way – dual diagnosis treatment that helps both problems at once.

Which Came First Mental Illness or Addiction

Occasionally the dual diagnosis “chicken and the egg” question arises. Which came first for this person – the mental illness or the addiction? And for that matter, which one usually comes first in the dual diagnosis population? Sometimes it turns out you are asking the wrong question from the beginning.

Researchers have found that in most cases, the mental illness has developed before the addiction. The debate has gone on for years, but this focus has taken the mental health and addiction community off track. The point is really this – worrying which came first masks the fact that the interaction of the diagnoses is what really matters. The person with these problems is only concerned that their life is going downhill and they need the best treatment the mental health and addiction community can offer.

Separation of Mental Illness and Addiction in Treatment

Until recently, most professionals kept addiction and mental health treatment fairly separated. The conventional wisdom had been to get the person stable in their sobriety before really addressing any mental health diagnoses. It was thought that you couldn’t effectively treat the mental illness if the addiction was still “getting in the way,” so to speak. However, this process has misinterpreted the basic way co-occurring disorders work. Again, it is the interaction that dual diagnosis recovery needs to focus on.

When one diagnosis gets the focus and the other is left aside, the person isn’t getting the whole problem addressed. It’s like finding two different infections on a person’s two hands, but waiting until the left hand gets better before treating the right one. In the meantime, the infection in the right hand just continues to get worse!

Misdiagnosis and Under-Diagnosis of Co-Occurring Disorders

Also, it’s important that genuine dual disorders are not seen as one major disorder with a small side-problem – like a depressed person what has a few too many drinks after work (alcoholic), or a drug addict with an occasional anger and aggression problem (probably some form of depression in disguise).

It is certainly possible for a major disorder to occur with some minor disturbances on the side, it is absolutely essential that a well-trained professional make sure significant problems aren’t getting the brush-off. The Canyon takes accurate dual diagnosis assessment quite seriously. The staff is highly trained in the complexities of dual diagnosis treatment and assessment.

Your Experience

Have you ever been treated for your dual diagnoses separately? What was your experience like? How do you think that affected your overall recovery? We here at the Canyon very much appreciate you sharing your stories and with us. It helps us to make your dual diagnosis treatment experience the best possible.

Tags: addiction, addiction and mental illness, co-occurring disorders, Dual Diagnosis, Dual Diagnosis Treating Mental Illness and Addiction To, Dual Diagnosis Treatment, mental illness

   

About Erika K.

       

Erika K. has studied addiction and recovery for over ten years. As an accomplished writer, she uses the power of words to help men and women of all ages better understand issues of dependence and substance abuse.

Also written by: Erika K.