What is a Dual Diagnosis?

A dual diagnosis is given to an individual who has both a mental disorder and an alcohol or drug problem. These conditions frequently occur together. Trying to manage just one of these problems can be extremely stressful. To complicate matters even further, multiple symptoms make it difficult to make a true diagnosis. To achieve the best possible results, both conditions need to be treated at the same time. The accumulated effects influence all aspects of an individual's life and greatly increases the chances of relapse.

Often the individual with an undetected psychiatric problem will attempt to feel better by self-medicating with alcohol or drugs, which can lead to chemical dependency. In other cases, the alcohol or drug addiction is the primary condition which over time can lead to depression, anxiety and more severe emotional and mental problems.

Dual diagnosis can be difficult to identify because the symptoms of one disorder often mimic the symptoms of the other disorder. Many of the symptoms of drug abuse, such as anxiety, depression, paranoia, delusions and hallucinations, are similar to symptoms of mental illness. The impact that the symptoms have on a person's life can cause severe decline in self-care and functioning which can also be a symptom of a psychiatric problem.

Individuals struggling with mental illness and addiction have a unique set of problems that need to be addressed simultaneously. Mental health services on the whole, are not well prepared to deal with individuals who have both conditions. Often only one of the two problems are identified. If both conditions are recognized, the individual may bounce back and forth from mental health treatment and substance abuse treatment causing a fragmented treatment.

Regardless of the cause or symptoms, ideally detoxification under medical supervision should take place. The process could last for a few days to more than a week, depending on what substances the individual has abused and for how long.

The Cedars provides services to treat both disorders together, with a multiple team approach. This approach improves the chances of a dually diagnosed individual to be more successful in recovery.