Do I have a dual diagnosis?

The only way to find out is to get a diagnosis from a medical professional. If a patent has a dual diagnosis each co-occurring condition needs to be diagnosed independently according to the relevant medical criteria, usually those listed in the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).

In this article we cover the following topics related to dual diagnosis

• What is a co-occurring mental health disorder?
• What is dual diagnosis treatment?
• Do I need to be an inpatient for dual diagnosis treatment?
• Why is dual diagnosis treatment important?
• Is dual diagnosis treatment successful?

If you or a loved one is concerned about addiction, mental health or dual diagnosis the first step is to reach out to the team at Hacienda Paradiso for a private, helpful and friendly conversation about options. 

Any conditions can co-occur. However, the most frequent conditions that will appear in a dual diagnosis with addiction are depression and anxiety. Other frequently seen conditions included bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, eating disorders and schizophrenia.

While it might seem overwhelming to receive a dual diagnosis for most people it can be a relief. Instead of being overwhelmed by a set of symptoms and difficulties, a dual diagnosis can mark the beginning of recovery. The dual diagnosis can help the patient improve their understanding of their condition. It also makes recovery a realistic goal, of addressing specific, individual diagnoses rather than a single, overwhelming, mental health challenge.

What does it feel like to have a co-occurring mental health disorder?

In short, having a co-occurring disorder feels exactly the same as having a regular disorder because it is a regular disorder. One of the reasons so many people are relieved, even pleased, about a dual diagnosis is because it means they can understand the cause of specific symptoms, identifying which are a result of an addiction and which are a result of a mental health condition. This will generally be accompanied by awareness of how the individual symptoms affect each condition, depression for example, might affect an addiction because the low mood is a trigger for addictive behavior.

This also means that the effects on the individual are, simply, the same effects as the conditions. In some cases these will overlap or be exacerbated. Using the example of an addiction accompanied by depression, cravings, and withdrawal symptoms will be the result of the addiction, while symptoms like feelings of low self-worth are more likely to be the result of depression (although they might be worsened by the addiction). However, in this example, self-neglect might be a consequence of either condition or both.

What is dual diagnosis treatment?

There is no standard treatment for dual diagnosis, and it will depend on the conditions diagnosed. Ultimately, the conditions will be treated individually, so a patient with drug addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder, for example, would receive two sets of treatment in parallel. However, although the treatments will be separate, they will have regard to the possible impact they are having on the other condition.

And while there will be two treatments, having a dual diagnosis adds complexity and this can have an effect on exactly how the treatments are managed and how long recovery might take. The two main reasons for this are that the treatments will take account of the other condition, and sometimes it is hard to disentangle the conditions from each other.

This is why its imperative top seek out only the best and most experienced Dual Diagnosis experts. Hacienda Paradiso is fast becoming one of the Worlds the leading clinics for our specialized treatment of Dual Diagnosis, at our Ecological rehab in Marbella.

It is now recognized that addictions have a profound effect on the brain, especially the pleasure pathways, but also more broadly on how the brain produces key chemicals, like GABA, serotonin, dopamine, and endorphins, that have wide-ranging psychological and physiological effects.

Treatment and recovery at Hacienda Paradiso rehab in Marbella manages the process of recovery taking into account both conditions and the effects of treatment. A common condition like depression, for example, can be treated with therapy or medication. Using medication, however, might be complicated by natural changes in the brain as a result of detox and recovery from addiction. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to know, for certain, how effective medications may be or what side effects they may have on an individual, and a co-occurring condition makes this even harder. A clinician would, therefore, have to consider several factors and monitor for the effects of any medications, constantly re-assessing to ensure the desired outcome was being achieved.

At Hacienda Paradiso we are pioneers of DNA testing for medication reactions. This means that with some simple tests we are usually able to refine and alter a patient’s medications by eliminating those that are genetically predisposed to adverse reactions and complications. 

More from our addiction treatment blog

• What to do if your child is addicted to drugs
• 10 Key Questions to Ask When Selecting a Drug Treatment Center
• The Opioid Epidemic: How to Spot the Signs of Use Disorder
• Road to Recovery: 10 Essential Tips for Selecting the Right Rehab Facility
• Substance Dependence: Understanding Addiction and Overcoming It

Dual diagnosis also frequently creates a ‘chicken and egg’ problem which can impact on treatment. One of the reasons that dual diagnosis is so common is because addictions and mental health conditions affect the same part of the brain. Addictions frequently start because the patient is self-medicating with a drug. However, addicts also often develop mental health conditions because of the way the brain responds to addiction. Dual diagnosis treatment can be affected by this difference.

Do I need to be an inpatient for dual diagnosis treatment?

Dual diagnosis does not necessarily mean treatment as an inpatient at a residential facility is necessary, but it does make it more likely. Just like a single diagnosis the main factors will be the severity of the conditions and the length of time the patient has suffered from them. In some cases, just one of the conditions might indicate an inpatient stay is necessary. In other cases, where the conditions are mild or moderate it might be possible to treat both while the patient remains at home.

However, the added complexities of dual diagnosis might mean that a residential stay is preferable, even if it wouldn’t be necessary for the conditions individually. This will allow our professionals at Hacienda Paradiso to offer more care to manage any complexities. Dual diagnoses also present more risk, for example treatment for one condition might act as a trigger for the other condition. A stay in our world class residential facility means that there is always help on hand to safely manage any difficulties in the recovery process.

Why is dual diagnosis treatment important?

There is a much better chance of a successful recovery with dual diagnosis treatment than with sequential or independent treatment options. There are many possible connections between addictions and mental health conditions. The addiction might be the result of self-medication, the condition might have been caused by the addiction’s changes to the brain’s pathways, or both might be the result of a past trauma. Treating a single condition leaves the risk that the remaining condition triggers a relapse of the treated condition.

As well as the links between dual diagnosis conditions, there are additional risks associated with dual diagnosis if only one condition is not treated, especially when the treated condition is addiction. An example is depression. Withdrawal symptoms often include feelings of depression and anxiety, so if the patient does not have dual diagnosis treatment, there is a risk that an existed depression could be worsened, becoming severe and even resulting in suicidal ideation.

Additionally, there is a risk that dual diagnosis conditions can, untreated, increase the risk of developing worse conditions. This is particularly true if there has been a family history of poor mental health. An example might be a patent with an alcohol addiction and depression, who then develops bipolar disorder. The process by which this happens is not fully understood but may be related to the compounding effects the two co-occurring conditions have on the brain’s chemistry and networks.

Is dual diagnosis treatment successful?

There is no reason for dual diagnosis treatment to be any less successful than treatments for individual conditions. Indeed, although the conditions are treated separately, many patients will feel a holistic benefit, improving their self-awareness and leaving them feeling more empowered during their rehabilitation and recovery. It is certainly the case, where there is a dual diagnosis, that concurrent treatment is, overall, much more successful than individual or sequential treatment options.

However, it is important to use a facility or service such as Hacienda Paradiso that can offer a full dual diagnosis treatment. Many facilities will specialize in specific conditions. While they might offer treatment options that appear beneficial, they will not necessarily tailor for dual diagnoses conditions. For example, therapy for addiction may have some benefit for patients with other mental health conditions, but it is not a treatment for them. 

Hacienda Paradiso is the leading Dual Diagnosis clinic in Europe, pioneering affordable treatment in beautiful, natural surroundings.