There’s a great deal of overlap between mental illness and addiction. Whether it’s because they use substances to self-medicate for their illness or because they develop a mental condition due to the effects of drugs, plenty of people in rehab receive what is known as a dual diagnosis – a co-occurrence of substance abuse disorder and another mental illness. Treatment for co-occurring disorders is unique in that it targets not just addiction or mental illness but also the interplay of the two. If you are in need of such specialized therapy, contact Alamo Behavioral Health; our dual diagnosis treatment center Texas residents rely on provides some of the best, most up-to-date care for people struggling with addiction and mental health. We will be happy to support you on the way toward a better, healthier, and more sober life.

DUAL DIAGNOSIS – WHAT IS IT, AND WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT IT?

A dual diagnosis, also known as co-occurring disorders, is the presence of two mental conditions simultaneously – substance abuse disorder and another mental illness. A dual diagnosis can involve any mental disorder and the abuse of any substance. This is one of the things that makes the treatment of a dual diagnosis so difficult: there are virtually endless combinations of symptoms, and everyone will experience them in their own unique way. For this reason, our dual diagnosis treatment center in Texas offers personalized care plans designed to address the specific issues you are facing.

All mental illness, including addiction, is typically a combination of genetics and environment. It would, therefore, be incorrect to say that mental illness necessarily leads to addiction or vice versa. But mental illness does increase the risk of addiction, especially when it is undiagnosed or untreated. Many people who suffer severe symptoms of mental illness self-medicate with substances; this quickly turns into dependence on those substances and eventually addiction. Substance abuse can, in turn, trigger mental illness in people who are predisposed to it or worsen its symptoms after it starts.

MENTAL HEALTH AND ADDICTION IN NUMBERS

According to national statistics on mental health and substance abuse, around one in five American adults, or about 21% of the adult population, suffer from mental illness. The percentage is higher for women than men – more than 25% of adult American women have a mental illness compared to just under 16% of adult American men. In absolute numbers, this is more than 50 million people.

In comparison, almost 20 million adult Americans abuse substances – anywhere between 15% and 20% of the population, depending on the year. The majority of them (almost 3/4) are addicted to alcohol. Almost 40% of those addicted abuse illicit drugs. This means one in eight Americans over the age of 12 abuses both drugs and alcohol.

Of the 50 million Americans who suffer from mental illness, 18.2% (almost one in five) abuse substances, and of the 20 million Americans who abuse substances, 38% (almost two in five) also suffer from another mental illness. In total, 8.5 million Americans live with a dual diagnosis. Unfortunately, the majority of them will never visit one of the dual diagnosis treatment centers San Antonio TX offers – more than half never receive any treatment at all while a third will only receive treatment for their mental health.

The mental illnesses most commonly diagnosed as a part of a dual diagnosis are anxiety and depression (20% of people with a diagnosis of anxiety or depression abuse substances), ADHD, PTSD, personality disorders, and schizophrenia. The most commonly abused substances among people with co-occurring disorders are alcohol and nicotine, prescription medication (painkillers or stimulants), and opioids.

EFFECTIVE AND EVIDENCE-BASED DUAL DIAGNOSIS TREATMENT IN TEXAS AT ALAMO BEHAVIORAL HEALTH

Overcoming mental illness and addiction on your own is not impossible, but it is incredibly difficult. There’s no need to put yourself through hell on your way toward a better life – you can get professional, effective, and compassionate care at Alamo Behavioral Health. We will help you leave addiction behind permanently by focusing not just on healing your body and detoxing you of substances but also treating any co-occurring disorders and improving your mental health in general.

UNDERSTANDING THE CHALLENGES OF CO-OCCURRING DISORDERS

When you suffer from co-occurring disorders, your mental health and addiction are intrinsically intertwined. It is impossible to treat one without the other. Focusing on addiction alone will still leave you mentally ill; mental illness is, in turn, a major risk factor for relapse. Focusing on mental illness alone won’t deal with the complex physical, mental, and emotional realities of addiction. This is why our dual diagnosis treatment center Texas is proud to have doesn’t elevate one problem over the other.

We adopt a holistic approach instead, taking into account how your mental condition and addiction interact. To us, it doesn’t matter which came first or why. What matters is that we help you overcome both as you transition into civilian life. Our staff is equipped to handle any condition at any level of severity – no matter what mental health struggles you’re facing or what substances you’ve turned to, we are here to help.

THE IMPORTANCE OF THERAPY FOR ADDICTION RECOVERY AND MENTAL HEALTH

The key to recovery lies in effective psychotherapeutic care. Therapy is the recommended form of treatment for both addiction and many mental conditions, sometimes alone and sometimes in combination with medication. At Alamo Behavioral Health, we follow the latest treatment recommendations and provide:

• group therapy for addiction, where you can discuss addiction and mental health with your peers under the guidance of a professional, and
• individual therapy for addiction, where you and your therapist can take a more in-depth look at your condition

The value of group therapy lies in learning from others in the same situation. You will get to share your opinions but also hear what others going through the same struggles feel. On the other hand, individual therapy allows you one-on-one time with a mental health professional. The focus is entirely on you and your needs. You can have confidential discussions about anything you need with a therapist who’s only there to help you.

Approaches to therapy in dual diagnosis treatment centers San Antonio TX offers

Several approaches to therapy have been proven effective in the treatment of addiction. However, certain approaches may be more suited to a specific mental illness. So depending on your specific diagnosis, you may benefit from:

• cognitive behavioral therapy, which aims to uncover and then break the connection between negative thoughts and behaviors like substance abuse
• dialectical behavioral therapy, which arms you with the confidence you need to make better choices
• art therapy, which allows you to express your thoughts and feelings creatively
• eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, which aims to train your brain out of addiction using eye movement as an indication of thought processes

All of these types of therapy can be supplemented with medication when needed. In addition to the medication approved for treating various mental conditions (antipsychotics, antidepressants, stimulants, etc), five different medications are used to treat addiction and cravings specifically.

RECEIVE CARE FOR ALL THE COMMON CO-OCCURRING DISORDERS AT OUR DUAL DIAGNOSIS TREATMENT CENTER TEXAS TRUSTS

The diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders includes nearly 300 different diagnoses. Each and every one of them can co-occur with addiction. Some inpatient dual diagnosis treatment centers in Texas choose to focus on treating one or two of them, choosing the most common or most serious ones. But at Alamo Behavioral Health, we aim to provide treatment to everyone who needs it. For this reason, we offer mental health services for a variety of disorders. This includes, among other conditions, the illnesses most common in veterans:

• treatment for anxiety – one of the most common issues Americans face, present in almost 20% of adults in the US
• treatment for depression – another common mental disorder that affects almost 10% of all adult Americans
• PTSD treatment – a disorder that is up to five times as common in veterans as it is in the general population

In addition to treatment for all the common mental health problems, we are also equipped to help you leave any type of addiction behind with our medical detox program in San Antonio. Our addiction treatment center provides:

• alcohol rehab
• opioid detox treatment
• stimulant rehab
• cocaine detox
• heroin rehab
• prescription medication rehab
• marijuana addiction treatment

INDIVIDUALIZED PSYCHIATRIC CARE WITH YOUR PERSONAL NEEDS FOR LONG-TERM RECOVERY IN MIND

Everyone experiences addiction and mental illness differently. Even if you share the same diagnosis as someone else, the way that diagnosis affects you will be unique. Your symptoms, your circumstances, your support system, and your feelings are all unique; as such, your struggles will also be unique. The treatment you receive should be just as unique in order to address your personal needs. This is why every patient is treated as an individual at our dual diagnosis treatment center in Texas. We do not offer the exact same treatment plan to everyone who walks through our door. Rather, we listen to what you need, and then we provide you with the care that addresses those needs.

INPATIENT CARE FOR DUAL DIAGNOSIS TREATMENT IN SAN ANTONIO TX

At Alamo Behavioral Health, we understand that our patients live very different lives. As such, they may have very different care needs. Some require structure and a controlled environment to leave addiction behind; others thrive when professional care is combined with constant access to a support system at home. In order to ensure that you’re getting the level of care you need, we provide safe and supportive residential rehab in San Antonio TX.

As one of the best inpatient dual diagnosis treatment centers in Texas, we have the possibility to house our patients. Not only does this create a regulated, substance-free environment for recovery, but it also allows easy access to medical and psychiatric care. If you suffer from a severe case of addiction, we would recommend that you choose inpatient treatment, to begin with.

CUSTOMIZED TREATMENT PLANS IN OUR DUAL DIAGNOSIS TREATMENT CENTER IN SAN ANTONIO TX

Your treatment at Alamo Behavioral Health will start with a confidential conversation with a treatment advisor. This is the perfect time for you to get to know us and for us to get to know you. Ask any questions you may have or share what you think are relevant health concerns. In turn, our admissions team will evaluate your condition. Together, you can come up with a treatment plan that suits you personally. Some of the things that will be taken into consideration include:

• the severity and duration of your addiction,
• the substance you are addicted to,
• other mental health conditions,
• the severity of mental illness,
• your physical condition,
• your home situation,
• other obligations such as child rearing, school, or work,
• the cost of treatment and how it fits into your budget, and more.

The treatment plan may include varying levels of care, medication-assisted treatment, and even addiction aftercare programs in Texas. You will also have the opportunity to discuss and re-evaluate your treatment plan along the way.

SPECIAL CARE DEDICATED TO THE NEEDS OF VETERANS WITH DUAL DIAGNOSIS

No matter the role you served in the armed forces or how long you’ve been a civilian, your service will have changed you forever. In fact, for veterans with a dual diagnosis, the mental illness typically traces back to the trauma they experienced in the service. This is something we are particularly sensitive to at Alamo Behavioral Health. We are proud to serve the people who served us and our country and do everything in our power to adjust our treatment to the needs of veterans. Special attention is paid to not retraumatizing you or accidentally triggering PTSD episodes. We furthermore encourage you to discuss your transition into civilian life in therapy; our counselors are more than happy to help you deal with the challenges of hanging up the uniform.

A SAFE, NON-JUDGMENTAL ENVIRONMENT

There is no room for judgment at Alamo Behavioral Health. We are well aware that addiction is a disease that can be incredibly difficult to overcome. So we are not here to question, judge, or shame you; we just want to help. Why you started abusing substances or what you’ve done while abusing substances will not make us think any less of you. That you need more support than most, that you rely on medication-assisted treatment, or that you’ve relapsed before does not mean you are weak or doing something wrong. Reputable dual diagnosis treatment centers San Antonio TX offers will not blame you for any of this. Instead, we provide compassionate and understanding care. We believe that a positive, safe, and non-judgmental approach gives the best results.

TAKE THE FIRST STEP TOWARD RECOVERY – CONTACT US TO START DUAL DIAGNOSIS TREATMENT TODAY!

If you’re looking for a dual diagnosis treatment center Texas residents trust and recommend that will treat you with care, respect, and compassion, contact us at Alamo Behavioral Health. We have developed a program that caters specifically to veterans like you. Our goal is a long-term recovery and a better, healthier future for you and your loved ones. So don’t battle your demons alone – let us help you on the way to sobriety!

TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE WITH ONE CALL

Reach out to our detox center in San Antonio and jumpstart your recovery. Our all-inclusive inpatient rehab for veterans in Texas is there for you.

EXPLORE OUR TREATMENT OPTIONS

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