What to Expect From Dual Diagnosis Treatment in Massachusetts
Co-occurring disorders are mental health conditions that occur simultaneously with substance use disorder (SUD) or alcohol use disorder (AUD). Many people with undiagnosed and untreated mental health issues turn to drugs or alcohol for relief. Unfortunately, the same substances that they use to alleviate their symptoms often make them worse over time.
In addiction recovery, co-occurring disorders are major risk factors for relapse. With dual diagnosis treatment in Massachusetts, people can get help for both disorders at once. Dual diagnosis treatment at Charles River Recovery builds solid foundations for lasting sobriety and healthy, sustainable lifestyles.
Common Co-Occurring Disorders
Addiction is a complex disease that affects the brain and its chemistry. While the exact causes of addiction are not fully understood, researchers recognize that certain factors make some people more predisposed to addiction. This is why two people can use similar amounts of the same drug for the same amount of time and one becomes addicted while the other does not. Although some of these factors are physiological, others relate to how people perceive themselves, their past experiences, and the behavioral conditioning they received early in life. They include:
- Unprocessed emotions like guilt and grief
- Low self-esteem
- Childhood abuse
- Recent or past trauma
People who come from abusive homes or who have experienced severe trauma are more likely to develop anxiety and depressive disorders than those who have not.
Common co-occurring disorders include:
- General anxiety disorder
- Panic disorder
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Major depressive disorder
- Bipolar disorder
- Schizophrenia
Conduct disorders and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) also frequently occur simultaneously with SUD and AUD.
How Dual Diagnosis Treatment at Charles River Recovery Helps
Also known as co-occurring disorder treatment and integrated treatment, dual diagnosis treatment acknowledges the mental and emotional pain that people experience when living with unmanaged mental health issues. This acknowledgement, paired with appropriate interventions, makes weaning off or quitting addictive substances easier. It offers clients healthy, sustainable alternatives to drug or alcohol misuse. Dual diagnosis treatment at Charles River Recovery also helps people better understand their addictions and the mental health challenges that may have caused or complicated them.
Skill-Building
A person with co-occurring disorders is conditioned to reach for drugs or alcohol when they feel stressed, sad, or overwhelmed. At Charles River Recovery, we offer skill-building workshops and other learning opportunities to help clients develop healthy coping skills. Our clients learn how to naturally balance their moods, fight off temptation, and deal with challenging environments and situations. We encourage tactics like:
- Mindfulness
- Meditation
- Slow counting
- Deep, diaphragmatic breathing
- As-needed avoidance
With healthy coping skills, people who’ve completed dual diagnosis treatment can face stressors in the outside world without feeling an intense need to turn to substances.
Multiple Options in Therapy
Talk therapy plays a vital role in dual diagnosis treatment. At Charles River Recovery, our clients participate in group and private counseling sessions. In group therapy, people with co-occurring disorders can enjoy a sense of camaraderie and support while sharing their stories with peers. Group therapy builds strong communication skills, enables healthy socialization, and promotes skillfulness in boundary-setting.
In private therapy, clients can talk about the experiences that may have led to or exacerbated their co-occurring disorders. Different therapeutic techniques are leveraged to help people work through difficult emotions, challenge negative thought patterns, reframe their self-images, and reverse the effects of unhealthy behavioral conditioning. We offer cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and motivational interviewing. These are among the most common therapy types in dual diagnosis programs.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive behavioral therapy is a type of psychotherapy with a demonstrated ability to effectively treat anxiety disorders, depression, AUD, SUD, and severe mental illness. CBT asserts that many psychological problems are caused in whole or in part by unhealthy thought patterns. Whether learned or gradually developed, these thought patterns prove consistently unhelpful across life areas.
By teaching people to challenge negative thought patterns and changing how they view themselves and the world around them, CBT encourages the development of healthy coping techniques. For those with mental health disorders that make them feel ineffectual or prone to failure, CBT is empowering.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Dialectical behavior therapy is another evidence-based psychotherapy for treating anxiety, depression, and substance use disorder. DBT also works well for those prone to self-harm, battling suicidal thoughts, or living with borderline personality disorder (BPD). DBT encourages people to acknowledge their painful experiences. This promotes growth and understanding by validating what clients feel.
In DBT, clients work on:
- Emotion regulation
- Boundary-setting
- Effectiveness in interpersonal relationships
- Improving their distress tolerance
- Becoming more mindful and increasing their focus in the present moment
With DBT, those with co-occurring disorders can learn how to successfully fight the urge to make impulsive decisions, act impulsively, and self-sabotage.
Motivational Interviewing (MI)
During the recovery process, many people experience a second set of withdrawal symptoms known as post-acute withdrawal symptoms (PAWS). PAWS are largely psychological and typically begin just several days after the initial physical symptoms of detox have ended. They include:
- Fatigue
- Heightened sensitivity to stress
- Sleep disturbances
- General irritability
- Mental fogginess
Lack of motivation or low motivation is also among the top post-acute withdrawal symptoms. Motivational interviewing in dual diagnosis treatment directly targets clients’ ambivalence to change and their diminished drive to facilitate this change.
Motivational interviewing (MI) takes a collaborative rather than confrontational approach to arrive at needs-specific ideas for improvement. By asking questions that guide clients to helpful answers, our psychotherapists encourage them to take positive and proactive roles in their healing and long-term mental health care.
Pharmacological Treatment
While general talk therapy, DBT, CBT, and MI can produce remarkable improvements in people living with co-occurring disorders, certain mental health disorders require pharmacological interventions as well. At Charles River Recovery, we use a multipronged method to help our clients achieve lasting mental wellness. We customize each person’s treatment plan according to their diagnoses, needs, histories, and other factors. This allows us to leverage the right balance of counseling and medical interventions.
Antidepressants
Antidepressants are prescription medications for treating clinical depression and anxiety. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most common antidepressants used in dual diagnosis treatment. These drugs are non-habit-forming and safe for long-term use. They work by increasing clients’ serotonin levels. This powerful, feel-good neurotransmitter promotes mood balance. It also contributes to better sleep hygiene and improved digestion.
Antipsychotics
Antipsychotic medications help restore the brain’s chemical balance. In dual diagnosis treatment, antipsychotic medications are often prescribed for bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, psychosis, and severe anxiety.
Mood Stabilizers
As their name implies, mood stabilizers promote mood balance. People with bipolar disorder toggle between extreme depressive states and euphoric highs. Mood stabilizers provide day-to-day mood balance and allow for the maintenance of normal, productive lives.
Anxiolytics
Anxiolytics are anti-anxiety medications that serve as safe, non-habit-forming alternatives to highly addictive benzodiazepine drugs. They’re frequently used for the treatment of long-term post-traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, and general anxiety disorder.
Stimulants
People with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder often turn to methamphetamine or cocaine to feel “normal” and increase their ability to function. In dual diagnosis treatment, those with ADHD may receive prescription stimulants that promote increased focus and mood balance without causing addiction.
Sleep Support
Many people in addiction treatment require short- or long-term sleep support. Insomnia and disturbing dreams are common acute and post-acute withdrawal symptoms. As with all other medications prescribed in addiction treatment, we offer non-habit-forming sleep aids only.
Establish Long-Term Relapse Prevention Plans
In our dual diagnosis treatment, our clients have the opportunity to establish detailed relapse prevention plans. Relapse prevention plans list the triggers and stressors that are most likely to lead to a person’s relapse along with proven strategies for overcoming them. These plans also list the different options in recovery support that clients can turn to after formal addiction treatment has ended.
When paired with MI, relapse prevention plans can also help clients recognize the need for extended treatment. For instance, a person might start an outpatient program after completing inpatient treatment, live in a sober living home, or take part in ongoing sobriety meetings.
Healthy Life Habits
At Charles River Recovery, our clients are encouraged to take a whole-person, whole-health approach to the recovery process. We believe that maintaining healthy life habits greatly reduces the risk of relapse by promoting mood balance and preventing problems like excessive fatigue and insomnia. In recovery, all clients are encouraged to remember the acronym H.A.L.T. so that they never allow themselves to become too hungry, angry, lonely, or tired to manage their emotions in safe and healthy ways. During dual diagnosis treatment, you can work with our counselors to establish feasible goals for your nutrition, physical activity, socialization, sleep, and more.
Why Choose Charles River Recovery for Dual Diagnosis Treatment?
For people with co-occurring disorders, dual diagnosis treatment is a critical part of the recovery process. Undiagnosed and untreated mental health disorders serve as constant triggers and stressors. They also deliver ongoing temptation to use. Our dual diagnosis program gives people multiple ways to alleviate their stress, anxiety, and anguish without returning to old addictive behaviors. We help people achieve mood balance and learn the best strategies for maintaining it.
By taking a balanced and multipronged approach to addressing co-occurring disorders, we give our clients many feasible and easy ways to take control of their mental health. Our team leverages the latest evidence-based psychotherapies and medications while maintaining a strong emphasis on long-term planning and proactive relapse prevention.
We also offer comprehensive, in-house detox programs for people in need of medically assisted treatment (MAT) when recovering from Xanax, methamphetamine, and alcohol dependence as well as multiple options for general addiction treatment. You can participate in our inpatient program and complete your withdrawal and treatment on a secure, closed campus. Alternatively, you can sign up for one of our outpatient programs and continue going to work or school and returning home to your family each night. We even offer an intensive outpatient program (IOP) or day treatment program for those who want more freedom and flexibility but still need rigorous support. With multiple ways to get well, we make addressing co-occurring disorders as easy and hassle-free as possible.
For many people, untreated mental and emotional anguish is the primary driver for addiction. We offer the skills and tools that people need to experience lasting healing, mood balance, and functionality. To learn more about our dual diagnosis program or speak with our admissions counselor, get in touch with Charles River Recovery today!
