Dual Diagnosis Treatment in McAllen, TX

Many people have little sympathy for what addicts go through. As far as they are concerned, addicts could simply choose to stop, but don't. The reality of resisting addiction, however, is that resisting the cravings is unimaginably hard. More importantly, many addicts are in no position to even try. They suffer from what addiction experts call a dual diagnosis. Our experts in dual diagnosis treatment in McAllen have found that in many cases where addicts relapse after rehab, the problem is traceable to a treatment center with no modern, science-based treatment for dual diagnosis addictions.

Even today finding a licensed and qualified dual diagnosis treatment facility can take some research. This is where McAllen Drug Rehab Centers comes into play, as we place a great importance on dual diagnosis treatment.

What is Dual Diagnosis?

Conceptually, the dual diagnosis concept is a simple one to grasp: it is the condition experienced by a person afflicted by a psychiatric disorder such as depression, schizophrenia or anxiety disorder in addition to an addiction.

When mental disorders and addictions coexist in patients, they tend to mutually reinforce one another. When an attempt to cure one is made with little attention paid to the other, the uncured condition often restarts the cycle. The only way to truly help an addict is to ensure our addiction treatment programs in McAllen by a qualified expert in dual diagnosis. If there are mental disorders found in addition to addiction, treatment for addiction needs to take the mental disorder into account. It is the only viable way to proceed.

Types of Mental Health Disorders

On average, one in two people who suffer from addictions are diagnosable with mental disorders such as OCD, anxiety, schizophrenia or PTSD. These conditions usually pre-date the addictions that these patients suffer from. Often, patients suffering from one of these disorders turn to drugs or alcohol to help alleviate some of the depression or mental confusion that their condition afflicts them with.

People tend to become trapped in other ways, too. A person who suffers from anxiety disorder or PTSD may start out with anxiety pills prescribed by a mental health professional, but may move to overusing those pills for added relief, and then become addicted to them. Obsessive-compulsive disorder may push a person to obsessive use of addictive substances, and depression can drive a patient to mood-lightening substances. It's easy to see why dual diagnosis conditions are common.

Why is Dual Diagnosis Treatment in McAllen Necessary?

Good treatment requires care at a specialized dual diagnosis treatment center with specially licensed and qualified expert doctors on board. This is because patients with dual diagnoses tend to require longer periods of treatment, to experience crises with greater frequency, to experience setbacks more often, and to progress more slowly.

Since the symptoms of these disorders tend to overlap, it can take an expert with specific training in dual diagnosis to distinguish between different symptoms, and offer sound treatment plans. It can be a mistake to attempt to treat either disorder alone. Among the many things that can go wrong, dual diagnosis patients may receive lower doses of medication than they need.

Studies have found that patients receiving dual diagnosis treatment programs, on average, experience better success rates over the long-term.

Dual Diagnosis Treatment in McAllen is the Right Choice

For those without training, it can be hard to know if a loved one's addiction issues are aggravated by mental disorders; there is considerable symptom overlap among mental disorders and addiction disorders, and things can be confusing, even for professional psychiatrists who have no addiction-specific training. Nevertheless, it can help to pay attention to the kind of symptoms experienced. Suicidal thoughts, mood swings, and hallucinations that persist when the addict isn't high can point to the possible existence of mental disorders.

Whether you believe that a loved one has a dual diagnosis condition or not, it makes sense to choose a facility specializing in such treatment, simply as a precaution. Our dual diagnosis treatment in McAllen is considered the only scientifically valid approach in the treatment of such conditions, and specialists in our drug rehab in McAllen are experienced in the method.

It can help to familiarize yourself with the latest in dual diagnosis rehab before you actually decide on a treatment plan. Our experts in dual diagnosis treatment in McAllen can offer all the information you need to help you make up your mind. Call us today at {{telelphoneformatted}} for more info.