Dual Diagnosis Treatment Center | Dual Diagnosis Rehab In MD

What Is Dual Diagnosis Treatment?*

“Dual diagnosis” refers to when an individual has two or more co-occurring disorders. “Co-occurring disorders” are multiple health issues that are happening at the same time and working in conjunction to undermine the overall well-being of the individual.

Examples of dual diagnosis and co-occurring disorders include the following:

An individual is suffering from depression and using alcohol to self-medicate the symptoms of depression.
An alcoholic is suffering from an anxiety disorder.
A heroin addict is suffering from bipolar disorder.
A person suffering from bipolar disorder is abusing Xanax.
A person’s 20-year morphine addiction has left them with a series of phobias, including agoraphobia, which renders them unable to leave their home.
A person is suffering from ADHD, begins abusing their ADHD medication, and then becomes addicted to Adderall and other drugs.
A military veteran with injuries from combat uses opioid painkillers for pain management. He or she gets diagnosed with PTSD on top of the issues with pain and being dependent on painkillers.

The combinations of co-occurring disorders and the details of a person’s unique situation are limitless. However, in all of these scenarios, the person is suffering with more than one health problem. And because substance abuse is tying the health problems together in a negative way, the individual requires dual diagnosis treatment to get all of the problems addressed at once.

*Please note that we are currently NOT able to offer mental health services. However, we have plans to bring these services back in-house by the end of Summer 2021. In the meantime we coordinate with other service providers in the community when mental health services are needed.

Which Mental Health Conditions Lead to Addiction More Than Others?

With substance abuse and addiction, there will always be mental health issues that are co-occurring with drug and alcohol use. Drug and alcohol use – even in moderation – can cause a wide range of side effects, including deteriorating one’s mental health. The mental health issues may be slight, or delayed – making it difficult to recognize the symptoms or connect them to substance abuse.

Does Addiction Cause Mental Health Issues, or Do Mental Health Issues Cause Addiction?

Mental health issues and substance abuse are connected in cycles, and either or can be the trigger for the other. For example:

A person who struggles with chronic depression may use alcohol or drugs to self-medicate their depression symptoms, in an attempt to feel better.
A person who has been increasingly using drugs and alcohol may start to feel new or worsening symptoms of depression.

Both of the above examples lead to the same cycle of worsening co-occurring disorders. The more a person uses drugs and alcohol, the stronger and more severe the symptoms of depression will be (in response to the worsening substance abuse problem). Likewise, the worse and more severe that the depression symptoms become, the more a person will be tempted to self-medicate with drugs and alcohol.

In order to break the cycle of these co-occurring disorders, you need to treat each of the disorders concurrently (at the same time). It is very dangerous to only treat half, or only a portion, of a dual diagnosis, as the person will never fully recover if all disorders are not treated.

Lack of Dual Diagnosis Treatment Leads to Relapse

It is no secret that traditional drug and alcohol addiction treatment programs have high relapse rates and low long-term success rates. Some studies show abysmal rehab success rates of as low as 5 to 10 percent. However, the drug rehab success rates do not take into account 1) dual diagnosis treatment, 2) whether the individual had a co-occurring mental health disorder and 3) whether the mental health issues were ever recognized or treated.

Seeing as how up to 66 percent of those with a substance abuse problem also have a mental health issue, you can see how failing to treat mental health issues could lead to such low drug rehab success rates. If you don’t treat the whole disease, how can you expect to successfully overcome it?

Dual diagnosis facilities have much higher success rates, and can offer those recovering from addiction a better chance at finding success and long-term sobriety.

Dual Diagnosis Statistics and Co-Occurring Disorder FAQs

Dual diagnosis is, by definition, a compounded and trickier situation than just substance abuse treatment alone. Because of this, many of those suffering from dual diagnoses and their families have a lot of questions. We have answers to several dual diagnosis and co-occurring disorder FAQs here:

What Is the Difference between a Comorbidity and Dual Diagnosis?

In modern addiction treatment, the terms comorbidity, co-occurring disorders and dual diagnosis are used interchangeably, and simply mean two or more disorders that are occurring at the same time or consecutively (one after another).

In the past, each term was needed to differentiate different disorders that were concurrent, and “comorbidity” signified that the two disorders affected or worsened each other. However, in the latest reclassifications of diagnoses, the terms can all be used interchangeably when speaking about substance abuse and mental health disorders.

What Are Some Examples of Co-Occurring Disorders?

Co-occurring Disorders can include any combination of the following disorders with each other and/or substance abuse:

Anxiety Disorders:

Acute stress disorder
Adjustment disorder (with anxious features)
Agoraphobia
Anxiety (caused by a comorbid medical condition)
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
Panic disorder (chronic panic attacks)
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Social phobia (social anxiety disorder)
Specific phobia (simple phobia)

Bipolar Disorders:

Major depressive disorder
Hypomanic disorders
Manic disorders
Mixed specifier (mixed episode disorders)

Dissociative Disorders:

Depersonalization disorder
Dissociative amnesia
Dissociative fugue
Dissociative identity disorders
Dissociative disorder (NOS – not otherwise specified)

Eating Disorders:

Anorexia nervosa
Binge eating disorder
Bulimia nervosa
Pica

Sleep and Wake Disorders:

Circadian rhythm disorder (sleep-wake disorder)
Hypersomnolence (hypersomnia)
Insomnia disorder
Nightmare disorder
Narcolepsy
Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep disorder
Restless leg syndrome
Non-rapid eye movement sleep arousal disorders (night terrors/sleep terrors and sleepwalking disorders)

Childhood Mental Disorders:

Autism (aspergers, spectrum autism, autistic disorder, and Rett’s)
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD and ADD)
Intellectual disabilities
Reading disorders
Separation anxiety disorders
Social communication disorders
Stuttering or lisp (speech disorders)
Tourette’s disorder
Transient tick disorders

Personality Disorders:

Antisocial personality disorder
Avoidant personality disorder
Borderline personality disorder
Dependent personality disorder
Histrionic personality disorder
Multiple personality disorder (dissociative identity disorder, schizophrenia)
Narcissistic personality disorder
Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder
Paranoid personality disorder
Schizoid personality disorder
Schizotypal personality disorder

Other Disorders that Can Be Co-Occurring Disorders and Cause Dual Diagnosis:

Acute depression
Chronic depression
Acute stress disorder
Postpartum depression
Somatic symptom disorders
Alzheimer’s disease
Bereavement
Body dysmorphic disorder
Brief psychotic disorders
Conversion disorders
Delusional disorders
Disinhibited social engagement disorders
Dysthymic disorders
Gaming disorder (Gaming Addiction)
Gender dysphoria
Hoarding disorders
Hypochondriasis (illness anxiety, fear of catching diseases)
Germophobia
Intermittent explosive disorder
Kleptomania
Neurocognitive disorders (major and minor disorders)
Pain disorder (chronic pain)
Parkinson’s disease
Pathological gambling (gambling addiction)
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PDD)
Pyromania
Reactive attachment disorder
Trichotillomania

Can You Have Two Mental Illnesses at the Same Time?

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM–5), not only is it very possible to have multiple mental health issues at the same time, but it is very likely that a person can have more than six co-occurring mental health disorders.

As an example, a person suffering from anxiety could suffer from half a dozen sub-forms of anxiety disorder, including generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder, panic attacks (panic disorder) and more.

I Have Not Been Diagnosed with Any Mental Health Issues. Do I Still Need Dual Diagnosis Rehab?

As we have indicated, substance abuse and mental health issues go hand in hand, and it would be a miracle if you had a serious substance abuse problem and didn’t have some sort of mental health needs in recovery. It is the opinion of Maryland Recovery that mental health counseling and dual diagnosis treatment should be made available to EVERYONE who enters substance abuse and addiction treatment.

Whether or not an individual utilizes the full capacity of mental health treatment available, it should always be available and integrated into every substance abuse and addiction treatment program.

In the first few months after detox, and the first year of your sobriety, you will feel a number of symptoms of post-acute withdrawal syndrome (PAWS). Many of those symptoms will be in the mind, including depression, feelings of guilt or shame, inability to feel happy, lack of energy, anxiety and more.
When those symptoms show up, they can be frightening, and you may not know how to adequately deal with them by yourself. This is where dual diagnosis and mental health counseling will be of the most help to you.

I Have a Mental Health Issue and Use Drugs and Alcohol Occasionally. I Am Not Addicted, but Do I Need Dual Diagnosis Treatment?

This is a very good question, and is not addressed often enough. Yes, and mental health issue that involves substance use requires dual diagnosis treatment, even if the substance use is just the occasional alcoholic drink, smoking cigarettes or light/occasional drug use.

With a dual diagnosis, your best chance at making a full recovery from all of your co-occurring disorders is with dual diagnosis treatment. We have had many guests find out that simply an occasional glass of wine pushed their depression deeper, or that their occasional use of marijuana was strengthening a mild form of schizophrenia. We even seen Adderall addicts that started out as misdiagnosed bipolar disorder sufferers.

I Have PTSD. Do I Need Dual Diagnosis Treatment?

Dual diagnosis treatment is the best and most beneficial form of treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance abuse. Furthermore, it’s also the best course of treatment for substance abuse and addiction in anyone suffering from trauma.

How Common Is PTSD and Substance Use in Veterans?

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, more than 20 percent of Veterans suffering from PTSD also have a substance use disorder (SUD). Furthermore, more than 33 percent of veterans that find addiction treatment programs for their substance abuse problems also suffer from PTSD.

Alcohol abuse and binge drinking are the top forms of substance abuse in Veterans suffering from combat trauma and PTSD. Not only do veterans suffering from PTSD tend to self-medicate with drugs and alcohol, but many veterans stumble into addiction via drugs prescribed to them to treat the PTSD.

Drugs like benzodiazepines (Xanax, Valium, etc.) are often prescribed to PTSD sufferers to treat anxiety, and prescription opioids and painkillers are often given for physical injuries. Both types of drugs are extremely addictive and can quickly lead to a dual diagnosis of PTSD and addiction.

Maryland Recovery is one of the Top Dual Diagnosis Treatment Centers in Bel Air

At Maryland Recovery, our dual diagnosis program is focused on holistic treatment for co-occurring disorders, offering clinical and therapeutic treatment for substance abuse, addiction and mental health conditions.

We pride ourselves on providing the highest quality of long-term care and family support, and our dual diagnosis recovery services offer a great chance at true recovery from addiction. Our long-term recovery plans can be just what you or a loved one needs to make for a better, happier life in sobriety.

My Loved One Needs Dual Diagnosis Treatment

Or call us today at (877) 762-3766, we are here for you.

"Maryland Recovery gave me the tools and counseling to accept my past and forge a new future for myself. Life today has a hope and brightness to it that had not experienced before. I got a job and an apartment with the help of Maryland Recovery. I am able to be part of my family’s life again."
— Robert M
"I am certain that this program helped save my life. I was provided with an opportunity to learn how to live a sober life. I learned to be responsible and accountable for my behavior. When practicing the principles of the program and remaining willing to grow on this journey, I experience a freedom I never knew, but always wanted."
— Morgan S
"The only things that I knew when I arrived at Maryland Recovery (MR) was that I was broken: spiritually, emotionally, and physically broken and that my way of doing things had gotten me there. The people at MR understood who I was better than I did. They assured me that I was not alone, with that came a glimpse of hope and some relief."
— Hubbard

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Contact us immediately if you or a loved one is in desperate need of a life reset. Our admissions counselors are available to answer all your questions. Call Us (877) 762-3766 or fill out the form below. 100% private and confidential.

Innovative Dual Diagnosis Treatment in Maryland