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Georgia DUAL DIAGNOSIS TREATMENT
Addressing Mental Health Disorders & Addiction in One Cohesive Program
Mental health disorders and addiction often go hand in hand, which is why it’s critical that rehab centers offer dual diagnosis treatment programs. At Mount Sinai Wellness Center, we have several programs that help patients address behavioral health problems. These issues are often a driving factor in addiction, and taking the time to identify and manage them helps patients reduce the risk of relapse.
Addition can affect people from all walks of life. Call (800) 353-4673 today to speak with a compassionate treatment specialist about our dual diagnosis program in Georgia.
What is Dual Diagnosis?
About half the people who have a mental disorder will also experience a drug or alcohol problem at some point in their lives, and many people who suffer from substance use disorder also have a mental illness. When these conditions occur at the same time, the individual has a dual diagnosis or co-occurring disorder. In the United States, about 9.2 million adults struggle with co-occurring disorders.
Addiction does not cause mental illness, nor does mental illness cause addiction. Still, the 2 disorders tend to appear at the same time. Some people use drugs and/or alcohol as a way to cope with the symptoms of their mental illness and form an addiction simultaneously. Others form a mental illness while their addiction rewires their brain. The same set of factors also increases an individual’s risk for both substance use disorders and mental disorders.
Risk Factors for Dual Diagnosis
Risk factors for substance use disorder, mental illness, and dual diagnosis include:
- Genetics (these conditions run in your family)
- Stress (and other environmental factors)
- Trauma (many people developmental conditions and unhealthy coping mechanisms after experiencing trauma)
Just like any other illness, both mental health conditions and substance use disorders can occur in anyone, regardless of their overall health, happiness, and success. When an individual gets sick, they may also need treatment to recover.
How Does Dual Diagnosis Treatment Work?
Recovering from a co-occurring disorder should never be a source of shame or stigma. The first step in your recovery will be eliminating drugs and/or alcohol from your system (detox) and getting sober. From there, you may need behavioral therapies, medicine, and increased social support. All the treatments you participate in are designed to break negative habits and give you ways to cope with difficult symptoms and situations in the future.
What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?
The CBT program at Mount Sinai Wellness Center finds in uniqueness through the way therapy is conducted. CBT stands for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, meaning that through a specific technique, the therapist attempts to guide the patient into restructuring the distorted thought process of that patient. The model of Thinking, Feeling, Acting is where the therapist begins his or her assessment to conceptualize where the patient is in their cognitive and emotional state.
We help patients identify patterns of distorted thinking. The therapist’s main focus is to understand the cognitive relationship the client has with his or her addiction, again, so that the patient can restructure their thought process, identify unhealthy behaviors, and replace them with positive actions.
What is Dialectical Behavior Therapy?
Our Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) track is a highly structured form of behavior therapy. “Dialectical” therapy focused on the balance between acceptance and change. This form of behavior therapy aims to assist individuals with pervasive emotional dysregulation, non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), and a previous diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). This track is led by a licensed professional who is intensively trained in DBT.
There are four group modules that each individual is taken through which include:
- Mindfulness
- Interpersonal Effectiveness
- Emotion Regulation
- Distress Tolerance
Through each of these modules, you will learn skills to better regulate their emotions and to replace dysfunctional coping strategist with more adaptive behaviors.
A key component of this treatment is maintaining and reviewing a diary card. The diary card tracks the severity of urges and your feelings about treatment. In the moments where you were unable to utilize effective skills, a behavior chain analysis is conducted to identify how and where more effective coping strategies could have been implemented.
What is Trauma Track?
The trauma track is a trauma-informed, highly individualized treatment program for patients who suffer from PTSD, ASD (Acute Stress Disorder), Complex Trauma, and co-occurring diagnosis of depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. Patients will receive extensive treatment services which will include daily process groups, recreation therapy, and individual sessions weekly. This track is facilitated by a licensed therapist with certification in trauma work and several years of experience working with patients with complex trauma.
The program is evidence-based using various modalities to treat the patient. MSWC will use the following modalities:
- Prolonged Exposure – A form of behavioral therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy designed to treat PTSD, characterized by re-experiencing the traumatic event through remembering it and engaging with it, rather than avoiding the memories of the events.
- CBT – A goal-oriented psychotherapy treatment that takes a practical approach to problem-solving. Its goal is to change patterns of thinking or behaviors that are behind a patient’s difficulties, and so change the way they feel.
- Seeking Safety – A present-focused therapy that helps clients attain safety from trauma, PTSD and substance abuse by emphasizing coping skills, grounding techniques, and education.
- Beyond Trauma – A curriculum designed for women dealing with both trauma and addiction. Beyond Trauma emphasizes that they are intricately linked. Experiential therapies will include Yoga, Equine Therapy, Meditation, Acupuncture, Massage, Music, and Art Therapy.
- Accelerated Resolution Therapy – ART is an effective form of cognitive behavioral therapy. Patients who undergo ART have reported significant improvement in their symptoms in as little as 1 to 5 sessions. ART is an evidence-based treatment for PTSD and depression and has also shown promising results for individuals with phobias, panic, anxiety, and other malfunctioning behavior that disrupts general functioning and wellbeing. ART has been recognized by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices, as well.
It is our desire at Mount Sinai to meet our patients where they are, build rapport, and provide a safe environment where you can engage in the deep work of recovery from trauma. We also help our patients experience a sustained healthy lifestyle that will produce wholeness, purpose, improved relationships, and overall wellness.
About Mount Sinai Wellness Center
At Mount Sinai, our team is here to help you see the bright and rich future available for you on the other side of recovery. We accomplish this by guiding you through your addiction treatment journey and providing the services and support you need to feel better.
When you join us for inpatient care, you will have access to the United State’s top physicians and clinicians, enjoy comfort and privacy at our beautiful facilities, eat masterfully prepared meals, and have the time you need to focus on yourself and your mental health.
For more information about dual diagnosis treatment in Georgia at Mount Sinai Wellness Center, call (800) 353-4673 or contact us online today.
Dual Diagnosis Frequently Asked Questions
What is the percentage of dual diagnosis?
With continued research from various groups associated with mental health, it becomes more and more prevalent that mental health difficulties are often accompanied by substance abuse disorders. By some estimations, about 50% of the people with substance abuse disorders also have some form of mental health difficulty, whether it has been diagnosed or not. Commonly, depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia are part of a dual diagnosis.
Are there risk factors that increase the likelihood of a dual diagnosis?
It is widely believed that mental health difficulties and substance abuse disorders can both become more likely due to genetic predispositions. If someone else in your family, especially a parent, has received a dual diagnosis, then you might be at a higher risk of one, too. Stress and emotional trauma are also identified factors that can increase someone’s risk of developing a mental health difficulty or becoming dependent on a substance.
Can all recovery clinics adequately help people with a dual diagnosis?
No, most addiction recovery clinics are not properly equipped to best support and care for someone with a dual diagnosis. Medical equipment and specialized therapies are often required to care for dual diagnosis patients because they will have unique needs based on their mental health difficulties and how it has played into or been impacted by their substance addiction. A recovery center that only utilizes holistic therapies or various forms of counseling can be helpful for many people struggling with addiction, but it might be unable to do much for dual diagnosis patients. Recovery centers with medical detox capabilities are usually a better fit.
Is it more difficult to achieve sobriety if you have a dual diagnosis?
Your ability to achieve and maintain sobriety depends on factors that are entirely unique to you, so it is not easy to say if the presence of a mental health difficulty will make things more challenging or not. For some people, they can feel like their path to sobriety is rockier due to their mental health difficulty complicating their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. For others, gaining an understanding of their mental health difficulty can be the “missing piece” that unlocks the path to a faster, lasting recovery.
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