Dual Diagnosis: Will Detox Treat Mental Health?

Addiction can weigh you down, wrecking many areas of your life. If you are seeking a substance-free life, you may find yourself looking into treatment options for substance abuse. Consider going to a professional drug rehab or addiction center.

Drug & alcohol detox is the first step in the recovery process. This will slowly taper drugs and alcohol out of your system in a safe, controlled environment. 

You should receive mental health support throughout detox.

To be effective, drug detox must address mental health as well ... especially in dual diagnosis cases.

Why is Mental Health Important During Drug Detox?

Addiction is a mental disease that involves genetics and social circumstances. It is closely related to other mental illnesses. Perhaps you started using substances to self-medicate. Even when pre-existing mental conditions do not exist, the withdrawal symptoms will almost definitely include psychologically distressing symptoms. 

Most treatment centers will offer individual therapy, family therapy, and group therapy. Therapy is important during detox. When you experience multiple mental illnesses though, you may want to consider the option of a dual-diagnosis program. 

Individual Therapy During Detox

Substance use disorder (SUD) treatment is not easy. It drains your energy and forces you to confront uncomfortable truths. You spend the whole time deconstructing your choices, managing mental illness symptoms, learning new coping skills, and discovering who you are without substances.

Individual therapy will assist you in working through the mental toll. It will also offer you techniques for regulating emotions without substances.

In addition to the psychological work that you do in individual therapy, your therapist can offer you a listening ear. They want you to thrive without substances. After all, burying your feelings will only hurt you in the long run. You can learn to better express your thoughts, and you do not need to worry about whether the other party will grant you compassion. Your mental health professional only wants to see you succeed.

Family Therapy During Detox

Addiction is considered a family disease. Though you are the person most directly impacted, everyone else in your family hurts and suffers because of the disorder too. This can cause tension and distance between everyone in the family. 

You and your family need a space to validate the different perspectives on shared experiences. You need to understand that your loved ones may hold lingering resentments towards you. Alternatively, your loved ones need to understand that you are trying to get better. Everyone likely feels hurt and upset, pointing the blame at one person or another.

Some detox centers offer family therapy to help you rebuild family support. A therapist will act as a mediator, educator, and confidant. They will challenge you and your family members to see the other person’s perspective. The therapist may assign homework for everyone that can involve skills used in psychotherapy.

Group Therapy and Detox

Group therapy offers you a space to express your thoughts and needs. Each group session typically starts with a substance-related prompt offered up by the head therapist. At first, you may feel nervous sharing. It is good to get outside of your comfort zone with group therapy. You will learn effective coping tools and will practice reframing skills.

When working through group therapy, you also learn how to resolve conflicts. Chances are, you will not love every person you are in group therapy with. You learn how to cooperate with and exist in a space with people you may not enjoy. Effective communication, while gathered in these settings, assists you in future situations. This allows you to grow as a person.

Due to secrecy and shame, you may feel used to isolation. Group therapy could feel uncomfortable. Seeking support from people who understand SUD can decrease your isolation in a safe environment. Peer support allows you to develop a strong community with residents of the same treatment program. 

Dual-Diagnosis Programs During Detox

When you are dealing with SUD and a comorbid mental illness, a specialized program may provide you with the most benefits. A dual-diagnosis program treats all your health conditions at the same time. Instead of separating parts of the treatment into different facilities, the treatment is typically combined. They start with detox and continue through longer-length rehab. 

Dual-diagnosis programs offer more substantial therapy options. They may include multiple types of psychotherapy such as:

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
• Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
• Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)

They may also provide additional therapies, like:

• Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR)
• Music therapy
• Art therapy
• Equine therapy

Psychiatrists involved in dual diagnosis programs can prescribe medications for acute withdrawal, but they may also transition you onto a long-term maintenance medication. The goal is to set you up for success once you exit the program.

Dual Diagnosis is Treatable. Find Dual Diagnosis Care Today with DetoxNearMe.com!

Good detox programs account for the mental health needs of their patients They offer individual, family, and group therapies. With a professional detox center, you will receive a plethora of support from your mental health professionals and peers.

You'll get an opportunity to mend family bonds, strengthening your support system. If you need more extensive care for comorbidities, a dual diagnosis program can prove most effective. They'll combine all aspects of treatment into one comprehensive system.

Finding a good detox center can be a challenge, however. That’s why we created DetoxNearMe.com, the internet’s largest directory of detox sites. With thousands of detox listings at your fingertips, finding a reputable, safe detox center is as easy as logging on.

Don’t suffer from an untreated dual diagnosis. Start your search today with DetoxNearMe.com!