Posts Tagged ‘Dual Diagnosis’

The process of undergoing addiction diagnosis to someone who is addicted to a substance, whether drug or alcohol, is an intimidating experience, but it is the initial step that can spell positive changes in someone’s life.

The addiction diagnosis is often initiated by a family member by seeking professional advice from a family doctor regarding a family member’s behavior that hinge on addiction. The family doctor may ask the person concerned the frequency of substance use, or whether they feel that there might be a problem, or whether their drug use is very conspicuous to other members of the family. A referral to a specialized addiction treatment program or a professional who specializes in addictions will be done to get a full assessment and an addiction diagnosis to be carried out if appropriate.

Who will conduct the addiction diagnosis?

There are many health care professionals who are specially trained to addiction diagnosis such as addiction counselors, psychologists, nurses, social workers, specialized doctors, and therapists. When these health care professionals conduct addiction diagnosis they are often called clinicians.

Addiction diagnosis is often done by a concerted effort of more than one health care professional. There may be instances that an addict will be interviewed by a counselor followed by a doctor. People seeking professional help should view this as an advantage since they will have two opinions instead of just one from professionals who are capable of helping in their recovery.

It is worth mentioning too that health care professionals dealing with addiction diagnosis are trained to treat their clients with courtesy, respect, and can be trusted to keep all information shared with them with confidentiality.

What are the methods used in addiction diagnosis?

Clinicians usually employ a combination of objective criteria and clinical judgment as basis for the addiction diagnosis. The objective criteria are based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorder (DSM) released by the American Psychiatric Association.

The diagnostic information may be gathered by using several of the following:

•    Standardized assessment tools and other questionnaires that the client will be asked to fill out.

•    Face-to-face interview between the clinician and the client using open-ended questions, which runs like a casual conversation aimed at taking historical data of the client.

•    Face-to-face interview between the clinician and client using structured questions which resemble like completing a questionnaire.

•    The objective criteria based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual or Mental Disorders

•    Three or more of the following criteria must be met by the client occurring in a period of twelve months in order to be diagnosed with substance addiction or dependence:

•    Developing tolerance for the substance, whether drug or alcohol, has less and less effect and the person addicted to it needs more to be satisfied.

•    Experiencing physical or psychological withdrawal symptoms or the person is taking the substance to avoid the withdrawal symptoms.

•    Taking larger amounts of the substance over a longer period of time than it was intended.

•    Trying to cut down or quit using the substance.

•    Spending a good deal of time to get the substance, use the substance, or recover from the effects of the substance.

•    Giving up or cutting back on important social, occupational or recreational activities because of the use of the substance.

•    Using of the substance despite the physical or psychological problems inflicted on the user.

The addiction diagnosis will also gather information if the client is suffering from another condition such as depression, anxiety disorder or personality disorder. The co-existing conditions can and should be treated at the same time with the addictive condition.

How to get an accurate addiction diagnosis?

Having done the first step of admitting the problem, the client should follow these advises to be able to get an accurate diagnosis:

Be truthful and don’t withhold information from the clinician

Express your concerns and let the clinician know of any concerns you may have regarding the diagnostic process

Request assistance should you have difficulties in filling out questionnaires don’t hesitate to ask for help

Accept your own feelings and let the clinician know if you feel upset as you relate your emotions during the interview

Cooperate with the staff and be willing to go through with the process by showing patience and cooperation

The information gathered and the addiction diagnosis will form the basis in getting the treatment plan suited to any client.

The Big Island Recovery Program at the Hawaii Island Recovery will do just that and make a recovery treatment plan that will cater to every client’s needs.

Providing the support for recovery for you or for your loved ones is the ultimate goal of Hawaii Island Recovery in conceptualizing their community based treatment program.

Just call 866-906-6911 to learn more of our amazing recovery plan that will definitely give you a start for positive changes in you life.

Addiction and psychological health go hand in hand. This is because there is often a psychological health problem or emotional issue that can be an underlying cause in the development of dependency
for harmful substances. This is why alcohol and drug treatment for alcohol or drug addiction shouldn’t only focus on the physical aspect of treatment, but also try to uncover and treat any psychological health problem that may be contributing to the situation. This is where dual diagnosis treatment centers can help.

What are dual diagnosis treatment centers?

Dual diagnosis treatment centers are drug treatment centers that deal with not only the substance abuse problem, but also identify and treat any psychological health disorders. An integrated treatment is provided for co-occurring disorders at dual diagnosis treatment centers. For example, a client who is suffering from substance abuse may also have depression or anxiety. Dual diagnosis treatment works by identifying the psychological health disorder and at the same time providing substance abuse treatment.

Dual diagnosis treatment centers are equipped to make a dual diagnosis of the addict, provide drug treatment, address and treat the alcohol or substance addiction, as well as treat any psychological disorder. At the very least, dual diagnosis treatment centers can refer the client to a psychological disorder specialist who can treat the problem. By making the proper diagnosis and providing the necessary help to the addict at dual diagnosis treatment center, it’s possible to treat both the addiction to alcohol and substance abuse. At the same time, the proper diagnosis of any psychological disorder can be made at dual diagnosis treatment centers to help the client recover from both addiction or abuse and the psychological disorder.

How can dual diagnosis treatment centers help?

In dual diagnosis treatment centers, therapy is provided to help the client deal with substance abuse, as well as provide psychological health treatment. If the doctor identifies any psychological illness or problems affecting the client’s psychological health, such as symptoms of depression, it becomes necessary to treat the co-occurring disorders at the same time.

It’s important to go to dual diagnosis treatment centers for a client in need of help because the psychological illness is often an underlying cause or trigger of the substance abuse. In order to treat the drug and alcohol abuse, the symptoms of the psychological problem must be identified so that it can be given the proper treatment. This can all be done at dual diagnosis treatment centers.

Dual diagnosis treatment centers provide specialized care in dealing with substance abuse, as well as identifying and treating the psychological health problems of the client. It is more difficult to treat clients with a dual diagnosis at a treatment center because there are co-occurring disorders that need to be addressed. At a dual diagnosis treatment center, both drug addiction or substance abuse treatment are dealt with, along with therapy for psychological illness, such as depression, anxiety and other psychological illness. This way, both problems can be fixed, and one issue won’t lead to the reoccurrence of the other problem. By getting the rehab help in dual diagnosis treatment centers, it is less likely that the addict will relapse.

What happens in dual diagnosis treatment centers?

Dual diagnosis treatment centers are similar to other residential drug treatment centers or residential rehab in that they provide treatment for alcohol or substance abuse and addiction. The client has to undergo a detox program to eliminate the alcohol or other substance from their body before beginning the rehab program. In order to recover, there is individual, group and family therapy, counseling, prayer and a number of other activities as part of the treatment for the addiction all done at dual diagnosis treatment centers. Part of the recovery program is also dealing with any emotional issues, so counseling is also part of treatment.

What makes dual diagnosis treatment centers unique is that these also treat psychological issues of the addict. A diagnosis is done at a dual diagnosis treatment center to uncover the psychological and emotional causes of the client’s addiction. Psychological health specialists and behavior therapists are present at dual diagnosis treatment centers to properly diagnose the addict so that proper treatment can be provided for any diagnosed psychological disorder. These can range from bipolar disorder to depression and anxiety. It is necessary to make an accurate diagnosis in order to be able to treat the disorder, so that the addict can recover from it. Also, giving the proper treatment for the psychological disorder will make it less likely for the addict to relapse in his addiction.

How do I find dual diagnosis treatment centers?

A residential treatment center is a treatment center that provides help to a client so they can recover from their drug addiction, eating disorders or alcohol addiction. You can call a facility to determine if they provide integrated treatment for both addiction and abuse, as well as treatment for psychological illness.

Hawaii Island Recovery’s Big Island Dual Diagnosis Treatment  Program offers an excellent variety of therapy. They are located 3,000 miles away from any distractions on the mainland.

The trained professionals at dual diagnosis treatment centers will be able to make the diagnosis and see if the addict is suffering from emotional issues or any psychological health disorder. A dual diagnosis can be made at the treatment center, once the addict in a residential treatment program.

There is help available from dual diagnosis treatment centers to help an addict recover from addiction by getting the right treatment. A treatment center that focuses on dual diagnosis can treat the addiction problem, identify symptoms of any psychological health disorder, and be able to integrate treatment to help the addict in his recovery process. Dual diagnosis treatment centers can help treat an addict and give them the skills needed for a complete recovery. Find out more about dual diagnosis treatment centers so you can get the help and treatment you need and be on your way to recovery.

If you or a loved one are suffering from an addiction and/or some form of psychological disorder call Hawaii Island Recovery and ask about their Big Island Dual Diagnosis Treatment Program at 866-906-6911.

There are many people around the world who suffer from abuse—alcohol abuse or other substance abuse. However, there is also a percentage of these addicts who suffer from an underlying psychological disorder. When there is a psychological health disorder that occurs alongside substance abuse, this is called a dual diagnosis. Dual diagnosis is also known as co-occurring disorder since the two disorders occur at the same time.

People with dual diagnosis often have an underlying or co-occurring psychological illness alongside a substance abuse problem. Oftentimes, the substance abuse problem occurs as a coping mechanism for the unaddressed psychological disorder, such as bipolar disorder. An addict can have a generalized anxiety disorder, suffer from anxiety and depression, engage in psychotic episodes or have some other psychiatric disorder, which he copes with by developing a substance misuse disorder.

As the substance abuse escalates, the psychiatric disorder and the psychotic episodes may escalate. The psychological disorder then becomes more pronounced, which makes the client engage in more substance abuse. It is a deadly cycle. In some cases, severe psychological illness or other psychiatric problems may develop, such as schizophrenia, as a result of the continued substance misuse and the undiagnosed and untreated psychiatric or psychotic disorder.

The problem with dual diagnosis

Dual diagnosis is tricky to treat because the two disorders are separate entities that must be treated accordingly. At the same time, both the psychological disorders and the substance abuse are interrelated. Some believe one is the result of the other. It is therefore necessary to properly diagnose and isolate the severe psychological illness, treat it accordingly, while at the same time address the substance abuse or addiction. This is because the general psychological health of the addict will dictate his actions.

Someone who engages in substance misuse as a result of a psychiatric disorder may not see the rhyme or reason why he needs to stop the destructive behavior or substance abuse. The addict suffering from a psychological disorder, such as an anxiety disorder, may not be able to make the decision to stop the drug or alcohol abuse since it is used as medication or a coping mechanism for their psychiatric symptoms.

Also, it’s not always easy to uncover a psychiatric disorder. This is because the psychological illness can be masked by the alcohol or drug abuse. It’s not always clear whether the actions of an addict are psychiatric in nature or a result of a psychological illness, or if it is the effect of the drugs and alcohol abuse affecting person’s psychological well-being.

Also, a person’s psychological health can be affected by long-term drug and alcohol abuse. It’s difficult to determine if the personality disorder was present before the abuse of the controlled substance, such as alcohol, or if the disorder or illness was present before the start of the substance abuse.

Why dual diagnosis is tricky

It’s not easy to make a dual diagnosis. For one thing, as an addict undergoes the detoxification for drug and alcohol abuse, it’s possible that the symptoms he exhibits mimics that of a psychiatric disorder. Some examples are when the addict exhibits anxiety and tension as he undergoes drug and alcohol recovery, which can be mistaken for an anxiety disorder or generalized anxiety.

When the client suffers from delusions during his detoxification and withdrawal towards recovery, it’s possible that he will appear to have psychotic moments, even schizophrenia. This is especially true of a client who has used cannabis extensively. Because cannabis is a hallucinogenic, it’s possible to mistake the actions for a psychiatric problem, even schizophrenia. At the same time, someone who likes to abuse cannabis is likely to develop psychiatric or psychological disorders, such as bipolar disorder and generalized anxiety disorder.

Also, clients who suffer from dual diagnosis have a difficult time dealing with the withdrawal and recovery process. The client who is suffering from psychotic symptoms may need medication, but at the same time, this must be highly regulated and monitored.

Causes dual diagnosis

There is no one risk factor that will make a client prone to a dual diagnosis. This is the premise of the multiple risk factor theory. A personality disorder or illness may be the result of socioeconomic factors, lack of supervision or even traumatic life events. These combined factors may result in a problem with substance abuse as well as a psychological disorder.

The dysphoria theory is a theory wherein the person with a psychological disorder uses the drugs or abuses a controlled substance in order to eliminate the bad feelings that he generally feels about himself. Feelings of loneliness, boredom and anxiety are alleviated by the abuse of a substance.

Another theory is the supersensitivity theory, wherein the psychological disorder makes the client more prone to developing an addiction. This is because the disorder may make the client wired differently, making him react or become super sensitive to any substance in his system. He may then become addicted more easily to alcohol and other drug problems.

Causality is another theory as to the cause of dual diagnosis—both the psychological problem and the abuse of alcohol or drugs. This means that the psychological disorder may lead to the abuse of a substance, or the abuse of a substance such as cannabis or alcohol may lead to a psychiatric problem, such as schizophrenia or other anxiety disorders, or psychotic episodes, such as extreme rage or even engaging in illegal activities.

Treatment for dual diagnosis

There is psychiatric help available for someone with dual diagnosis. Individual therapy is a must to treat the disorder. The substance must be detoxified from the body, and a proper diagnosis of any psychological disorders and illness must be made. Anti-psychotic medication may be given to alleviate the symptoms of a psychotic, psychological or psychiatric disorder. Help is available at dual diagnosis treatment centers so that both the psychological and psychiatric disorders can be identified and given the proper treatment for the illness, as well as address the addiction or abuse problem.

Although it is not necessarily easy to provide treatment, dual diagnosis can be helped. The symptoms of the illness must be identified and the proper psychiatric help and treatment must be given. The body must also be physically weaned from the drug and alcohol use. Talk to a doctor about dual diagnosis so you can get help for yourself or someone you love right away.

Hawaii Island Recovery’s Big Island’s Dual Diagnosis Program specializes in co-occurring psychological disorders. If you or someone you love are looking for help call 866-906-6911.

Drug and alcohol addictions continue to affect people from all walks of life.  Many people believe that all drug and alcohol abusers are criminals or are morally weak.

But, that simply is not the case. Whether one is a doctor, stay-at-home mom, lawyer, teacher, preacher, mill worker, teenager or even a child, drug and alcohol addictions respect no one.

 

Addiction is a physiological dependence on something, meaning it is both physical and psychological in nature. Therefore, when one is addicted one literally needs whatever it is that feeds that addiction. Education remains a key factor in fighting drug and alcohol dependencies.  When Hawaii Island Recovery helps people understand drug and alcohol abuse prevention becomes visible and effective.

 

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) notes, a tremendous opportunity exists to effectively change the ways in which the public understands drug abuse and addiction because of the wealth of scientific data NIDA has amassed. NIDA further states that overcoming misconceptions and replacing ideology with scientific knowledge is the best hope for bridging the “great disconnect”

Read the rest of this entry »

Addiction treatment’s main purpose is to help a person recover from drug and/or alcohol addiction. A person who goes in to addiction treatment may have other psychological problems that need to be addressed (Dually Diagnosed), but the primary purpose of every addiction treatment facility, unless they enter a dual diagnosis treatment center, should be the recovery from drugs and/or alcohol. Treating a co-occurring disorder will be part of treatment, but often drug treatment facilities will not be equipped to fully treat a dually diagnosed client.

Every treatment professional agrees that getting a person sober should be the first order of business because it is extremely difficult to treat a person for a co-occurring disorder when they are not sober. The ideal situation according to current research is to treat both the addiction and the co-occurring disorder concurrently. So when a person with a dual diagnosis enters treatment they should be evaluated to confirm any previous diagnoses, evaluated for medication, and immediately begin seeing a therapist to work on the co-occurring disorder.

The best treatment facilities, while being more expensive, are ones that combine drug and alcohol counseling and professional therapy. These should never be done by the same person, or rather, it is almost impossible to find a clinician who is capable of treating both at the same time, nor should they. A case manager’s responsibilities are distinct from a therapist’s responsibilities and the two do not combine very well in an addiction treatment facility. At Hawaii Island Recovery everyone has a therapist and a drug and alcohol case manager/counselor, or at least we highly suggest that they do. The therapist works with them on familial issues, co-occurring disorders, and relationship issues, whereas the drug and alcohol case manager/counselor works with the client on their recovery from drugs and alcohol.

The treatment plan for each client is developed by both the client’s therapist and case manager to ensure that both the client’s addiction and their co-occurring disorder is being treated effectively and efficiently. Over the years we have found that this is the best model for treating dually diagnosed clients.

If you are suffering from addiction please call Hawaii Island Recovery at 866-906-6911.

Neurons are the building blocks of the nervous system. It is estimated that there are 100 billion neurons in the human brain. Neurons are complex and have many components. It is sometimes helpful to get an understanding of the brain and specifically neurons to get a clear picture of what drugs and alcohol do to the brain. Here’s some information on neurons:Glial Cells: Commonly called the “glue” of the neuron is the support structure of neurons. Glial cells provide neurons with nutrition, insulate them, and collect cellular debris when they die. Astrocytes form the physical support structure of the neuron. They also provide nutrients and clean up the debris around the neurons. Oligodentrocytes produce the insulation for the neuron (myelin sheath) in the central nervous system. Finally, Schwann cells produce the insulation for the neuron in the peripheral nervous system. Myelination increases the speed of axon transmission of action potentials and the myelination of various areas of the brain during development roughly parallels their functional development. Myelination of the sensory and motor areas occurs within the first year of life and myelination of the prefrontal cortex continues into adolescence and adulthood. This process can be highly effected by drug and alcohol abuse. Dendrites receive chemical messages from neighboring neurons. The Cell Body contains the nucleus (genes), mitochondria, ribosomes, etc… The Axon Hillock adds up the resulting chemical from neighboring neurons. The Axon transports electrical signals and chemical products of the cell body. The Presynaptic Bulb stores the chemical messengers that can bind to neighboring neurons. The Synapse is the junction between one neuron and a neighboring neuron. The neuron is made up of ions (Cations + and Anions -). With all the complexity of the brain and body, there are only 5 primary ions: Potassium Ions (K+) found in bananas, oranges, etc., Sodium Ions (Na +) found in salt, Chloride Ions (Cl-) found in salt, Calcium Ions (Ca+) found in milk, and protiens (A-) found in meats or produced by mitochondria cells. These Ions can pass through the Neuron Membrane (Differential Permeability) and the relative concentrations of ions on either side of the membrane create a dynamic equilibrium. The balance, or imbalance, of ions creates an electrical charge in the cell of roughly -70 mv. When a neuron is stimulated the electrical balance within the neuron changes and an action potential can be generated. An Action Potential is a sudden change in voltage in the neuron. An action potential is an all-or-none response. This means that the action potential does not vary and is generated when a voltage threshold is passed. It is the action potential that activates synaptic vesicles in the synaptic bulb to release neurotransmitters. Autoreceptors are proteins that regulate internal processes related to the production and release of neurotransmitters. They bind to their neuron’s own neurotransmitter receptor sites and it is these autoreceptors that are affected by external substances such as drugs. When autoreceptors are disrupted by drugs, neurotransmitters are disrupted. There is something called down-regulation and up-regulation of dendrite receptor sites. Down regulation is a process of decreasing the number of receptor sites due to excessive amounts of a neurotransmitter over an extended period of time (Cocaine for example, decreases the number of dopamine recpetors in the brain). Up Regulation is a process of increasing the number of receptor sites to the scarce amounts of a neurotransmitter over an extended period of time (Depression is thought to be an increase in the number of serotonin and norephinerine recpetors). Anti-depressants were developed with the processes of up-regulation and down-regulation in mind, no pun intended. Understanding the processes of the neuron and the neuron’s make up are an integral part of understanding how drugs can modify the brain.

If you are suffering from addiction please call Hawaii Island Recovery at 866-906-6911.