To some it may come as a shock to learn that roughly 9 million adults who use drugs and alcohol also have a serious mental health disorder. Even more shocking is the fact that only about 7% of them receive effective treatment for both issues which leaves millions of people fighting a losing battle to recover and lead a healthier life. The CEO of New Beginning Adolescent Recovery Center in the southwestern United States believes he has identified a number of factors that can effectively help people who suffer from both a mental disorder and an addiction.
Many rehabilitation centers simply do not see past the fact that the person they are helping is an addict, such a mentality can result in the patient or client not receiving care that affects them as a whole. For patients dealing with depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder the style of treatment that only focuses on their addiction may not have the desired effect and could result in a wasted stay at a rehab facility. The mentally ill addict who is trying to recover but did not receive treatment for both diseases may just return to their addiction, therefore it is important that the treatment center be able to treat both problems simultaneously.
Mental disorders like those mentioned earlier can often be connected to some form of traumatic experience that either caused the mental disorder itself or played a major role in the patient falling ill in the first place. Many addiction specialists, however, believe that addicts need sobriety first before they are ready to deal with trauma in their past. The CEO of New Beginnings believes that this method is fundamentally flawed and can be counterproductive. If the trauma and mental illness are not the focus of recovery then many of those also addicted to drugs and alcohol will fail at recovery, and be far less likely to maintain sobriety even if they reach it while in rehab.
Another important focus point for those recovering is group therapy. Many people with mental disorders can become lonely, desperate and scared which is a nasty mix. Therefore it would make sense that providing an individual like that with a safe and comfortable setting with others in a similar situation can help them begin to trust others and improve their confidence. In addition to that many addicts who succeed in group therapy will be more likely to attend meetings and out-patient care if they are treated at least partially in group settings.
With any seriously mentally ill patient, medication is extremely important in the treatment process away from the addiction. If you then toss in a substance addiction to someone already receiving care from their doctor or psychiatrist, things can get tricky very quickly. The advantage to being in a treatment center that understands both sides of the care needed is that the medications can be administered, monitored and be carefully prescribed along with integrating the care for the addiction issues. The medical professionals can work hand in hand with the addiction experts and staff at the treatment facility to make sure that both the therapies and medications are working harmoniously in the patient’s favor.
For a mentally ill patient who also suffers from addiction problems it is important that their care be something of a synergy between psychological treatment and effective rehabilitation methods. The biggest mistake would be to attempt to isolate one problem or the other. The importance is making the patient comfortable enough to deal with both issues and eventually reach better mental health as well as lasting sobriety.
