This is a guest post by James White on the topic of dual diagnosis.
Unfortunately for a number of Americans suffering from addiction to drugs and alcohol, it is only half of a major problem.
Often hallucinations, memory loss, and other brain-related problems are blamed on long-term use of drugs and alcohol.
However, it is very possible that these issues existed prior to an individual’s decision to abuse drugs.
What happens is what is known as a dual diagnosis. A dual diagnosis is when mental illness and drug addiction are both present. For example, an individual may be a paranoid schizophrenic who is known to abuse methamphetamine. The bizarre behavior he or she may exhibit could be blamed on the effects of “meth” or their untreated condition.
It may be hard to tell, which is why it’s important to determine if a dual diagnosis exists as soon as possible.
How to Tell If One Has a Dual Diagnosis
The existence of a dual diagnosis is often treated as a “chicken or the egg” problem. This means that it can be hard to tell if a mental health problem was present before drug abuse began or whether present mental health deterioration is the direct result of continuous substance abuse.
In actuality, some drugs can cause mental health issues in patients that had previously not had such problems. However, for individuals who already had those issues, drug abuse tends to make the problems far worse.
In a strange sort of way, this can actually help signal the existence of mental health problems. That’s because, without drug abuse, mental illness may develop more slowly and go unnoticed for a long time. If a teen didn’t do drugs but suffered from mental illness, it may be a decade before the more alarming symptoms are noted. However, if the same teen were to suffer from a drug habit, within a far shorter amount of time, those symptoms would be noted.
This is not an endorsement for the self-medication that persons suffering from mental illness are often engaging in when they opt to take drugs or alcohol. It just means that it’s very important to pay close attention to whether or not drugs were taken to cope with certain symptoms such as depression, anxiety, hallucinations or other issues. If this is the case then more often than not it was the condition that led to drug addiction and a dual condition may be present.
How to Cope With a Loved One’s Dual Diagnosis
Perhaps it is not you that is suffering from a dual diagnosis, but you suspect someone you care about has this problem. Before jumping to conclusions, it’s important to do the necessary research.
Look online for articles from medical authorities and government agencies that explain what dual diagnosis is, how drugs affect mental health, and how certain pre-existing conditions may be made worse by addiction. Contact treatment centers and therapists for information and advice going forward. You may want counseling or you may decide to contact a professional regarding a possible intervention.
The best thing you can do is educate yourself and be firm in your stance not to enable a loved one’s drug habit. Should they join a rehab program, continue to offer support and encourage them to seek mental health treatment to determine if a dual diagnosis is possible.
James White is a content coordinator for Clarity Way.
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Thank you for these important distinctions. Seems to me the overall clarity is that something is out of balance and we have teams of people who can help with first things first. Please thank James White for helping to make this confusing set of circumstances so much clearer. Thank you, Cathy.
Thanks Herby. Point well taken that there are teams of people who can help determine each person’s particular situation. Reaching out for help starts the cycle of change. Thanks for stopping by!
I find the information rather interesting. I had no idea about what a dual diagnosis means. Thanks for the explanation! Hopefully, with a clearer identification of the issues, appropriate treatment can be sought.
Hi Evelyn,
Great, I’m glad that James’ post cleared that up for you. It is difficult sometimes when people are abusing substances to know what else is going on. That is why it is so important to have a medical professional connected to any treatment program who can not only determine if there is a duel diagnosis, but can provide effective treatment. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts.
Thank you, James and Cathy, for this important piece. As a therapist and dual diagnosis vet, I assure you the reality of dual diagnosis is stark. All those years ago I was self-medicating a nasty – and un-diagnosed – anxiety disorder with alcohol. Having no idea as to the dynamics involved, I did the rehab thing and put the booze in the rear-view-mirror. ‘Course, the anxiety disorder persisted, and five years later I began my recovery. For sure, had I not stopped drinking the anxiety disorder could never have been properly assessed and treated. Chicken/egg? For me, anyway, the anxiety disorder was primary. Again, thanks for the piece. Important for all to know…
Bill
Such a great point, Bill and I appreciate you sharing your experience. It is hard to determine an underlying issue when it is masked by substance abuse. Often and possibly in your case, the substance abuse starts because of a person is uncomfortable in their own skin, so to numb their pain, they use alcohol or drugs. But with each case, it could be different, so again one size does not fit all. Thank you for your support and for stopping by!
Thank you, James and Cathy. As I read this post, the thought that kept pinging in my head was “never judge.” I know addiction and I know recovery, but I don’t know mental health diagnoses. And you’ve helped me see that I need to educate myself when the circumstances arise. Thanks for that!
I can’t imagine you being judgmental, Beth, but you make a good point. We all need to educate ourselves more on the affects of a duel diagnosis. Take and thanks for stopping by.
Thank you James and Cathy for this article on such an important piece. Over half of those struggling with addiction have a co-occurring mental illness and the traditional model of treatment was to stop the substance use and then treat the mental illness. Well… if the brain has mapped the substance as the medicine that makes it feel better, stopping the “medicine” without fixing the mental illness only leads to relapse. I hope you don’t mind, but here is a link to a post I did on how to find good dual diagnosis treatment and why its so important: http://www.breakingthecycles.com/blog/2013/08/25/effective-dual-diagnosis-treatment-relapse-prevention/
Thanks, again, for raising awareness on this subject!!
Hey Lisa,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and for the link to further information. Take care.
You are right that Dual Diagnoses are hard to pinpoint. The “chicken or the egg” problem is tough. I had a person repeatedly tell me I was an alcoholic and that was the source of my problems when eventually I found out that it wasn’t. I was merely using it as a coping mechanism. I don’t really drink anymore, which was helpful, but once I worked on the underlying problems then the need to cope with alcohol went away too. I think a lot of addicts tend to have dual diagnoses of some sort, but if you don’t fix the addiction then you can’t work on the other stuff.
I agree Sebastian, that taking a look at the addiction needs to come first. I’m glad you found out the underlying issue that you had with alcohol and that you have found a lifestyle that works better for you. Thanks for stopping by.