Co-Occurring Disorders Definition | AspenRidge Fort Collins | Colorado

Being told you suffer a co-occurring condition with your addiction feels scary. But this diagnosis actually helps you get to the root of your substance abuse, so you can build strong recovery. With this diagnosis, you start getting the therapies and treatments you need. So, what are the co-occurring disorders definition and signs of these conditions?

Understanding the Co-Occurring Disorders Definition

The co-occurring disorders definition includes a range of mental health problems suffered alongside addiction. Some of these mental problems started before substance abuse, whereas others begin because of ongoing drug or alcohol use.

You learn of your mental health condition early in your substance abuse treatment. You go through a psychiatric evaluation as part of your admission to a rehab program. From this evaluation and other assessments, your therapists form an individualized treatment plan. This plan includes specific therapy services to meet your unique needs, whether those needs include addiction rehabilitation, mental health services, or both.

When you find out you suffer a mental health problem with your substance use disorder, doctors call your paired conditions a dual diagnosis disorder. Through dual diagnosis, you learn which mental issues you need treatment for, such as depression, bipolar disorder, personality disorder, PTSD, trauma, anxiety or schizophrenia. A wide range of these possible diagnoses exist, so you need a doctor’s evaluation for the right answers.

As said before, getting a dual diagnosis makes you unsure of your future. But you need to see the positive side of your situation. Knowing of your conditions is half the battle. Now you just need treatment to gain the life you truly want, one much better than your struggles of today.

History of Dual Diagnosis Treatment

Having co-occurring disorders today proves much easier than in the past. Until about 20 years ago, people with both mental health and substance abuse problems had to endure two different treatment plans for recovery. They had to either enter rehab for substance use disorder treatment first or go through mental health treatment. Then, they needed follow-up care for their second problem of co-occurring disorders.

Obviously, this past pathway to recovery required double time spent in treatment centers and double the effort. But doctors today understand how these two conditions intertwine, thus requiring treatment at the same time.

As you can imagine, people in the past rarely got the full treatment they needed to overcome both conditions of their dual diagnosis. This meant they quickly suffered a relapse of the treated condition. If only one condition gained treatment, the untreated disorder led to a relapse of both. Then, the individual needed to start over again in recovery.

Thanks to today’s understanding of co-occurring disorders, you go through rehab and mental health treatment together. So your therapies and other treatment methods work together for both problems at once. If you need medication for better mental stability, you gain that in rehab treatment, too. Of course, all of this requires treatment at a dual diagnosis treatment facility, one recognizing co-occurring disorders and special treatment needs.

Dual Diagnosis Treatment Program Benefits

Dual diagnosis treatment includes help for your addiction and mental wellness. These programs rely on a range of therapies and other practices in various levels of care. Possible programs and therapies you need for recovery include:

  • Medically supervised detox
  • Day Program and 5-Day IOP rehab programs
  • Aftercare program
  • Individual, group and family therapy
  • Sober housing
  • Trauma therapy and medication management
  • Neurofeedback

All of these therapies and services take place at AspenRidge Recovery Fort Collins. In Colorado, you gain the help you need for your dual diagnosis disorder. So contact AspenRidge Recovery now at [DirectNumber] to learn more about the co-occurring disorders definition. At the same time, ask about insurance verification to understand how your policy supports treatment.

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