Dual diagnosis is the terminology used to describe an individual who suffers from an alcohol or drug problem as well as an emotional/psychiatric problem. While the two illnesses are in fact separate, they are very interrelated and co-occur more often than you'd think. For example, according to Mental Health America, 37 percent of alcohol abusers and a staggering 53 percent of drug abusers have at least one serious mental illness. Conversely, approximately 50 percent of individuals with severe mental disorders are also affected by substance abuse. With correlations as high as these, a connection between the two types of disorder cannot be ignored.

Common Types of Dual Diagnosis

Depressive disorders like depression and bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders like general anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder and phobias, and finally schizophrenia and personality disorders are the most common mental illnesses that co-occur with substance abuse. In fact, just being diagnosed with one of these illnesses means that you are at a substantially higher risk for developing a substance abuse problem. For example, The National Institute of Mental Health reports the following increased risk assessments:

Psychiatric Disorder ----- Increased Risk For Substance Abuse

Antisocial personality disorder - 15.5%

Manic episode - 14.5%

Schizophrenia - 10.1%

Panic disorder - 4.3%

Major depressive episode - 4.1%

Obsessive-compulsive disorder - 3.4%

Phobias - 2%

Dual Diagnosis - Which Came First?

It can be hard for people to understand that there is not one definitive answer to this question. Often times the psychiatric disorder will show up first and the individual will abuse drugs or alcohol to try and combat their symptoms and make themselves feel better. This "self-medicating" as doctors like to call it can quickly lead to dependence, both physical and psychological. That said, drug or alcohol dependence can also be the primary condition of the dual diagnosis that can cause symptoms of a psychiatric disorder. For example, individuals with severe and prolonged substance abuse have been found to experience episodes of depression, hallucinations and suicide attempts.

How is a Dual Diagnosis Treated?

The most effective way to treat an individual suffering from co-occurring disorders is to treat both illnesses simultaneously. After the sufferer goes through detoxification to cleanse their body of any harmful substances they abused, the real treatment can begin. A quality rehabilitation facility will use several different types of therapy and counseling to help the addict get to the crux of their issues that caused the substance abuse in the first place. In the case of certain mental disorders such as depression, anti-depressants and other medication may be prescribed to help control their symptoms as well. Treating one of the illnesses and not the other has been proven ineffective as they are too intertwined and influencing on one another.

Destination Hope is a leading addiction and dual diagnosis treatment center for men located in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. They recognize the vast percentage of dual diagnosis sufferers and have developed a series of individualized therapy programs to help their clients recover from them. Destination Hope uses a combination of one on one cognitive-behavioral therapy, group therapy as well as family therapy to help the addict work through his issues and provide him the support he needs to move into recovery.