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The Impact of Prescription Drug Addiction and Depression

When you're in pain, you take prescription painkillers. But when you become addicted to those prescription painkillers, the depression that sets in is almost as debilitating as the original pain. How do you handle prescription drug addiction and depression? You undertake a dual diagnosis drug rehab that will help you break your addiction to painkillers while providing you with the treatment you need for your depression at the same time.

At The Canyon, we are a licensed dual diagnosis drug rehab facility in Peace Park, California, just outside of Beverly Hills.

The Problem With Prescription Drug Addiction and Depression

The problem with prescription drug addiction caused by pain and depression is that they are not mutually exclusive. Both depression and pain share some of the same neurotransmitters and nerve pathways in the brain so when one is triggered, so too is the other. The prescription drug addiction, the stress response constantly activated by chronic pain can cause a number of issues and symptoms that are related to depression, symptoms like:

• Irritability and agitation
• Anxiety and paranoia
• Fatigue and insomnia
• Extreme weight fluctuation

The Impact of Prescription Drug Addiction and Depression

Even if depression is not triggered biologically due to the pain response, prescription drug addiction alone can cause or worsen depression. The singular focus on painkillers to the detriment of personal relationships, the loss of finances and careers and the respect of others is of course a source of depression and lost self esteem. According to research findings, those who suffer from prescription drug addiction and depression tend to note more pronounced pain, a feeling that they have lost control of their lives and their futures, and the tendency to turn to unhealthy coping practices.

Once depression manifests, it only further stimulates drug addiction in an effort to numb the new emotional pain, making the problems even worse, which in turns worsens the depression and so on in a never ending cycle. The only way to break the cycle is to get treatment for both the prescription drug addiction and the depression at the same time at a dual diagnosis rehab facility.

Fighting Prescription Drug Addiction and Depression

Dual diagnosis treatment is essentially two treatments in one. Therapies and treatments are chosen based on their ability to speak to different aspects of both disorders at the same time. Every aspect of your day from the content of the meals to the support group meetings to the weekly assessments of your progress to the therapies you choose all serve one purpose: to help you get well and return home to a life without prescription drug addiction.

Dual Diagnosis Rehab at The Canyon

The Canyon is a fully accredited dual diagnosis rehab facility. If you would like to learn more about the different programs we have to offer, the unique nature of our personalized treatment, or the specifics of what you can expect during a typical day here in Peace Park, contact The Canyon today at .