Dual Diagnosis

A Dual Diagnosis is when someone has a mental health issue and an alcohol or drug use issue at the same time.  

Mental illness and substance use can affect people from all walks of life and does not discriminate based off of age, gender, social class, or education. According to SAMHSA’s 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, approximately 9.2 million adults in the United States have a co-occurring disorder.

What’s the link between mental health and substance use?

The link between mental illness and substance use is complex. People with a mental health disorder may use alcohol and other drugs for the same reason that other people use them – to relax or to change how they feel.

Often, mental illness develops first, and substance use begins as a way to self-medicate or cope with uncomfortable symptoms. At other times, substance use and mental health issues start at the same time and stem from an organic source, such as genetics, or external events such as trauma, stress, or other unique circumstances.

Substance use can change the chemical balance in the brain and change the way the brain functions and performs which prompts the need for behavioral and/or medication intervention.

challenges of dual diagnosis:

While mental illness and substance use have their own unique challenges, when they occur together, it can create complexities for both the individual and the treatment providers such as the following:

• difficulty identifying whether specific issues are a result of the mental health disorder, the substance used, or both
• a domino effect of relapse, where a setback in one disorder triggers a setback in the other
• adverse interactions with routinely prescribed medications when other substances are taken
• double the experience with stigma

At Divine Intervention Recovery Center, our experts understand the complexities one faces while living with dual diagnosis. We choose to take a holistic approach and work hard to provide a truly individualized experience by offering choices for group therapy topics and a variety of traditional and untraditional options because we believe YOU are the expert in your life and your recovery.