Dual Diagnosis in League City, TX

If you are seeking out treatment for your drug or alcohol addiction, get to know more about dual diagnosis as well as the treatment we can offer you for treatment for dual diagnosis in League City. Then, you can be sure that we can offer you the best possible treatment for your needs.

When a person has an addiction to drugs or alcohol, they often become defined by that condition, so much so that other physical or mental health issues and conditions that they may have get overlooked or go completely unnoticed for prolonged periods of time. While drug and alcohol addictions are serious diseases, they do not negate the importance of other issues that a person may be facing in their life and health.

There are 23.5 million people in the United States that suffer from drug or alcohol addictions. And many of those people either knowingly or unknowingly need the help of dual diagnosis treatment programs. The problem is, of course, that people with a dual diagnosis in League City may not understand the concept of dual diagnosis nor the importance of treatment for dual diagnosis.

What is Dual Diagnosis?

The general concept of dual diagnosis is that a person suffers from two concurrent or simultaneous health conditions. However, when one of those health conditions that a person suffers from is a drug or alcohol addiction, dual diagnosis refers to the fact that they are also diagnosed with a mental health disorder or condition.

One thing to keep in mind when considering the possibility of dual diagnosis treatment programs is that just because a person has two conditions at the same time, it does not necessarily mean that one caused the other.

Many people make assumptions about dual diagnosis in League City as well as elsewhere and assume that a mental health disorder caused a person's addiction. This can very well be the case, but such a reductive way of thinking can be detrimental to treatment as an addiction can also cause a mental health disorder or the two can occur simultaneously without one causing the other.

As such, approaching treatment for dual diagnosis with an open mind is important to aid in the recovery and healing process.

Dual Diagnosis and Addiction

A question that is often asked in dual diagnosis treatment programs is why mental health disorders and drug or alcohol addictions seem to go hand in hand so often.

Both mental health disorders as well as drug and alcohol addictions have a significant impact on the chemistry of a person's brain and body. When a person develops an addiction to drugs or alcohol, the physical component of the addiction is based upon the ways that drugs and alcohol affect the brain.

Any time an addictive substance gets into the body it will send signals to the brain instructing it to do certain things and stop doing others. The brain will eventually adjust to the drug's presence in the body, changing its structure and function to accommodate the presence of the addictive substance.

When a person suffers from a mental health disorder, their brain chemistry is similarly affected, meaning that both the chemical balance and the structure of the brain can be different from what it is supposed to be when a person is completely healthy.

Because these two conditions have similar effects on the brain, it is easy for them to occur at the same time. This is also why treatment for dual diagnosis in League City and general dual diagnosis treatment programs are necessary.

It is also important to recognize that a person with a mental health disorder could develop an addiction to drugs or alcohol because the substance seemed to temporarily alleviate some of the symptoms of that condition or was even prescribed to them to treat that condition.

For example, a person given Xanax (alprazolam) for panic attacks could theoretically become addicted to that prescription medication. Alternatively, a drug addiction can cause a person to develop a mental health disorder as well. For example, a person addicted to crystal meth could develop schizophrenia.

Types of Mental Health Disorders

In treatment for dual diagnosis, there are some mental health disorders that are connected to addiction more often than others. Some of the mental health disorders most commonly treated in our dual diagnosis treatment programs in League City include:

PTSD

PTSD is also known as posttraumatic stress disorder and is a mental health disorder that develops after a person has experienced significant physical, mental, or emotional trauma.

This is a type of anxiety disorder in which the person experiences echoes of their trauma that may make them fearful of certain activities, can cause hallucinations and nightmares as well as cognitive impairments, and can cause panic attacks. People with PTSD can develop addictions to sedatives like Xanax or could also become prey to alcohol or opiate addiction in League City.

Depression

Depression is one of the most prevalent mental health disorders in the United States today. This mental health issue is characterized by lethargy, hopelessness, sadness and a feeling of helplessness, isolation from the world, and suicidal thoughts.

When a person suffers from depression, they may develop addictions to alcohol, amphetamines, or other stimulant drugs.

Having a better understanding of dual diagnosis in League City, you can see just how important treatment for dual diagnosis is. If you are suffering from both a mental health disorder and an addiction, our dual diagnosis treatment programs can and will help you learn to manage and overcome these conditions. Call us now for help (877) 804-1531.