Dual-Diagnosis Treatment: Answers to the Most Common Questions

If you or someone you love have sought addiction treatment, you may have heard the term “dual-diagnosis” or a diagnosis of two conditions.

“Two conditions” could refer to many things. Two addictions, such as alcoholism and opiate addiction, or addiction and a chronic disease, like fibromyalgia. Instead, it has a specific definition and specialized treatment to address it.

This guide to dual-diagnosis treatment breaks down the emerging treatment modality and its goals. If this treatment is suitable for you or a loved one, the guide includes a list of questions to ask treatment facilities as part of your research. Every patient has different needs, and the answers to these questions will help guide their decision.

What is a Dual Diagnosis?

In short: a dual diagnosis refers to a patient diagnosed with addiction and mental illness. 

What is the Clinical Definition of a Dual Diagnosis?

Most dual-diagnosis patients experience the symptoms of both conditions at once. Unfortunately, beyond that description, a single clinical definition does not exist. 

Patients should seek specialized dual-diagnosis treatment when both conditions impact them at once. For example, depressive feelings and suicidal ideation combined drive the patient into problematic drinking. 

Which Mental Health Issues Happen at the Same Time As Addiction? 

Mental health issues, also called mental health disorders or mental illness, refer to many conditions with various causes. Some of the causes are not yet well understood. But all mental illnesses have one thing in common: they each affect the patient’s mood, thinking, behavior, and perception of the world. Some diseases affect each aspect more or less than others. 

The most common disorders that co-occur with mental illness include:

• Anxiety disorders like generalized anxiety, social anxiety, and agoraphobia 
• Depressive disorders 
• Bipolar disorder type I and II
• PTSD 
• Personality disorders like BPD or antisocial personality disorder
• Schizophrenia and psychosis 
• Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Mental health is only one of many factors that drive a person into addiction. 

What Causes a Dual Diagnosis? 

For some, the same factor causes both the addiction and mood disorder. “Shared risk factors” such as genetics, stress, or childhood trauma influence the likelihood of developing either or both diagnoses. 

For example, people with depression or anxiety self-medicate to cope with symptoms and manage the challenging changes in mood. Depression may originate from childhood trauma or arise independently, thanks to genetics. Both trauma and depression lead to self-medication, which can develop into addiction. 

Addiction may come first and lead to mental disorders. These changes in the brain can cause chemical imbalances that lead to mental illness. Conversely, people with depression often use alcohol to lift their mood.

Addiction and mental illness can worsen one another, trapping patients in a mental health spiral. Alcohol reduces the effectiveness of antidepressants, which intensifies depressive symptoms that lead to an increase in drug or alcohol use to further self-medicate. 

Addiction to illegal drugs can expose a substance use disorder (SUD) sufferer to dangerous people and situations as their cravings intensify. Those dangers can result in a traumatic experience, increasing the need to use or self-medicate.

No matter which appears first, dual-diagnosis treatment focuses on both conditions. 

How Common Are Dual Diagnoses? 

The two sides of dual diagnosis are connected most of the time. Around half of all people with a mental disorder will experience substance abuse disorder. 

How is a Dual Diagnosis Treated? 

A dual-diagnosis treatment program targets both conditions at once. Many treatment facilities lack the staff, resources, or ability to handle both. While patients can visit separate facilities for each, they may find a dual-diagnosis treatment more helpful. A single provider may cost less and efficiently use the patient’s limited time. 

A single doctor in dual-diagnosis treatment has all the patient’s treatment information. The team can share information and use more detailed context to improve treatment efficacy. In this case, the patient can spend more time on progress and less time updating the doctor on the other side. 

What Questions Should I Ask? 

If you or a loved one seek dual-diagnosis treatment, research matters. Every addiction and mental illness has unique treatment requirements. When a treatment facility targets both, their expertise must be specialized. 

Patients can call, read information on a website, or visit the facility to gather this information and ask the right questions.

Is the Facility Licensed To Treat Each Condition? 

Ensure the location has the legal certification to treat both addiction and mental health disorders. Mental health doctors and professionals are Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors or the equivalent in the states they operate in. 

Similarly, addiction doctors are certified by the Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals (CCAPP). 

Each state has license and certification regulations. Patients should educate themselves on the requirements for certification and attempt to verify the provider’s membership.

How Does It Treat Each Diagnosis? 

If the patient has prior treatment experience, they may know the best methods for them. Before committing, confirm a facility provides psychiatric medication and therapy for mental disorders. Does it offer one-on-one or group therapy? What therapies, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, do they use for addiction and mental disorders? 

What Drug Treatments Does It Provide? 

Drug addiction treatment has many options. 

Patients can attend as an outpatient and visit the facility a few times a week while living at home. Or, they may choose to undergo intensive outpatient treatment.

Intensive outpatient includes 10-20 hours of treatment each week at the facility. Many facilities host sessions (which include counseling, group therapy, and education) in the evenings or on weekends to better align with patient schedules. 

For more severe cases, treatment centers may offer partial hospitalization. This approach provides 4-8 hours of treatment each day. It is beneficial for dual diagnoses because the staff can monitor the at-risk patient without a detrimental disruption to their daily life. 

High-intensity inpatient such as detox or rehab is used for patients with serious medical conditions or withdrawal symptoms. It may also apply to patients with severe mental disorders who could be a danger to themselves or others. 

Caregivers of patients with serious addictions should confirm if medically-assisted treatment, or MAT, is available. This approach to detox “weans the body off” substances like alcohol, nicotine, or opioids with similar chemicals at dosages that decrease dependence over time. 

What Mental Health Services Are Available? 

If a facility treats a dual diagnosis, it must treat both the addiction and mental health. A range of services can treat mental health. One-on-one or group counseling sessions are a common form of mental health treatment. Group therapy sessions, the quintessential addiction counseling programs, allow patients to share their mental health struggles with a group that understands their difficulties. 

Other mental health services include life skills training. These services are meant to better orient patients to a normal and functional life. Additional services include vocational training and education and family services to educate those closest to the patient.

How Long Does Dual-Diagnosis Treatment Last? 

Outpatient treatment often fits into daily life with night classes and weekend meetings. More intensive inpatient programs, such as detox, require weeks or, in some cases, months. 

A patient must know their needs to choose the right schedule for treatment. The clinic’s expertise and recommendations can make this complex process more manageable.

How Much Does Dual Diagnosis Treatment Cost? 

Patients should review their financial situation before they commit to a treatment center. Factors for consideration include budget, research costs, financing options, the amount insurance will pay, Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) benefits, and other economic factors.

What Resources Are Available After Treatment? 

Patients must consider what the facility offers past their immediate needs. People with mental illness require ongoing therapy or psychiatric medication. Does the facility offer those services itself? If not, can it direct or refer patients to providers who can?

Learn More About SoberMind Recovery’s Dual Diagnosis Treatment Center 

Los Angeles patients with combined symptoms know we understand the unique difficulties of treating dual diagnosis. Los Angeles recovery seekers come to us because we know how to treat various conditions and accommodate patients from many walks of life. Join our mailing list to learn who we treat, how we treat them, and what you can expect from our expert caregiver team.