Suffering from addiction is a battle all in itself. When this disease is combined with another severe mental health condition, such as depression, this makes overcoming addiction all the more difficult. Fortunately though, there are many rehab centers that focus on providing dual-diagnosis services, which enhances the addiction treatment process. Let’s take a quick look at depression and addiction and how dual-diagnosis services can help you win the battle against both conditions.
What is depression?
Everyone from time to time experiences feelings of unhappiness; however, if you experience these feelings on a frequent basis, you may suffer from what is medically deemed as clinical depression. Medical research has shown that people suffering from depression often endure anxiety and panic disorders, too.
When suffering from depression, you will likely undergo the following symptoms:
- Change in appetite
- Fatigue
- Sleep pattern disturbances
- Agitation
- Trouble concentrating
- Loss of interest in important relationships with friends and family members
- Trouble maintaining high levels of productivity at work
In 2012, about 6.9 percent of the US population suffered from depression lasting at least 12 months. Unfortunately, the exact cause of depression is not known, which makes treating this mental health condition quite difficult. It is believed that numerous traumatic events can lead to depression, including loss of job, the death of a loved one, and sexual abuse. Additionally, those who do not exercise regularly and maintain a healthy diet are known to have higher rates of depression. When left untreated, depression often leads to alcoholism and/or drug abuse. At the worst, depression can be fatal.
What is addiction?
When it comes to abusing drugs, you are either addicted or you aren’t. People who abuse drugs who don’t suffer from addiction often go for a short or long period of time and then quit all of a sudden without having to acquire outside help. They have the ability to quit all on their own. As a person who suffers from addiction, though, you know firsthand that quitting drugs simply isn’t possible on your own. Even if you are 110 percent willing to quit, your mind won’t let you due to intense cravings. Addiction tricks your mind into thinking that you have to have the drug to function, and the disease takes complete control of your life. Even if you are aware of the negative consequences that are sure to come — or even if you are already enduring them — you still can’t find the strength to say no to drugs.
If you are contemplating whether or not you suffer from addiction, it’s imperative that you look for the following signs:
- You are unable to meet the requirements of your job; show up late, don’t meet quotas, etc.
- You lie about your drug use
- You steal money or trade items to buy drugs
- You don’t take medications as prescribed
- You spend all of your time and money buying and doing drugs
- Your relationships with friends and loved ones suffer because of your drug use
- You do things you know you wouldn’t do if you were on drugs
- Loved ones confront you about your substance abuse
How do dual diagnosis services work?
When suffering from the comorbid conditions of depression and addiction, you need to receive treatment that focuses on each condition individually, while at the same time treating each condition simultaneously. The National Institute on Health conducted a study that discovered nearly one-third of people who suffer from depression also suffer from addiction. Because these comorbid conditions go hand in hand with one another, this has led many rehab centers to offer dual diagnosis services.
It wasn’t until the 1990s that dual diagnosis services were offered, thus causing many people who suffered from depression and addiction to never get the help they needed. When you enter into an addiction and depression treatment center, you will find yourself enveloped with professionals who have a deep understanding of both conditions. Just like a regular addiction treatment center, you will go through many assessments ; however, instead of focusing specifically on substance abuse, many assessments will also focus on depression.
With dual diagnosis services, there is no hard line drawn between depression and substance abuse. Instead, both conditions are treated alongside one another. Because many addiction and depression treatment centers require patients to have a diagnosis for depression, you may need to receive a referral from your primary physician. If this is the case, there is no reason to fret. Simply set up an appointment with your doctor, tell him that you believe you suffer from both depression and addiction and that you want to receive treatment at a dual diagnosis facility. Your doctor will assess you for depression and decide whether or not you suffer from this mental health condition. He may find that you suffer from a different condition, such as bipolar disorder, which means you would then need to seek treatment through a facility that specializes in treating bipolar disorder and addiction.
When searching for a treatment center, you’ll want to make sure it provides the following:
- Treatment of both your addiction and depression conditions in a parallel manner
- Highly-trained treatment team
- Acceptance of treating both conditions with the use of psychotherapeutic medications
- Inclusive treatment methods
You will have many options in regards to receiving treatment for depression and addiction. You will likely benefit the most from inpatient services, and it’s best to stay in treatment for longer than 90 days. Activities that you will take part in when receiving treatment for these conditions include individual counseling, therapy with other patients, recreational outings, and more. You’ll want to choose a facility that allows for your loved ones to visit; it has been found the support of your family members is crucial in helping you establish long-term successful recovery.
It’s time to go to treatment
If you are looking for a treatment center that treats both depression and addiction, we can help you find one today. If you want to pay for some or part of the accompanying expenses with insurance, we can also help you find a facility that accepts your form of insurance. Don’t have insurance? That’s okay, too. Many facilities that we have connections with offer finance plans. The important thing is that you enter into treatment as soon as possible, and we can help make that happen.
[Source: yale.edu, NIH, washington.edu]