Dual Diagnosis in Williamsport, PA

If you've ever seen advertisements for treatment for dual diagnosis in Williamsport, and wondered about them, you need to know that they promote an important form of addiction treatment.

It's easy to wonder about people who become addicted to drugs and indefinitely remain that way as their lives collapse -- why can't they simply pull themselves together and stop using? The truth is, in more than half of these cases, the ability of these people to pull themselves together is severely compromised because they suffer from mental disorders.

Their ability to perceive, form and understand logical lines of reasoning, their self-control and their ability to think with a clear mind, all become extremely unreliable. It would be hard for anyone working with such disadvantages to successfully battle the tremendously powerful forces involved in addiction.

Addiction is frequently seen to accompany mental illness. The condition is known as dual diagnosis. Treating an addiction that is complicated by mental illness requires a special approach. One of the most common mistakes made in addiction treatment involves ignoring the presence of a mental illness, and neglecting to treat it.

There Are Complications Involved

It tends to mystify many -- if a mental illness does exist, why should it complicate an addiction? In truth, the link between addiction and mental illness tends to be a close one. Often, a person with a mental condition such as anxiety disorder or bipolar disorder will turn to drug use simply because it helps make the symptoms more manageable.

In many cases, when a person with latent symptoms of mental disorder turns to drug use, these substances aggravate those symptoms, and the disorder becomes apparent sooner than it would otherwise have. People with certain genetic makeups are more likely to develop schizophrenia if they use of marijuana

Diagnosis Can Be Tough

One of the complications involved in treatment for dual diagnosis appears at the diagnosis stage. The challenge appears in telling the symptoms apart -- there tend to be similar. A person who is addicted to methamphetamine, for instance, may hear voices; this is a symptom often seen in schizophrenia too, however. Cocaine use can cause anxiety, agitation and panic, but these are symptoms of anxiety disorder, as well.

This is only one of many reasons why dual diagnosis conditions are complicated to treat, and require special expertise in a treating center. There is excellent treatment available for dual diagnosis in Williamsport, however.

Treating a Dual Diagnosis Disorder

The difficulties involved in treating dual diagnosis disorders can vary depending on the intensity of the mental disorder seen. In cases involving advanced mental disorder together with addiction, the patient may refuse to accept treatment altogether. In such a case neither regular psychiatrists nor regular rehabs able to begin treatment.

Each usually asks the patient to get complications out of the way. It takes a special dual diagnosis drug rehab in Williamsport to begin psychiatric treatment even as the patient uses to begin rehab.

In milder cases of addiction, treatment for dual diagnosis is still called for, simply because it offers a more understanding attitude by addiction treatment staff and caregivers.

Choosing Inpatient Rehab

Experts commonly agree that inpatient rehab is the best approach to take when treating patients suffering from dual diagnoses. Inpatient rehab allows close monitoring and support of a kind that may not be available at home. The patient is kept well away from drugs or alcohol, and there is constant therapy and emotional support by caregivers to ensure comfort and cooperation.

It's Iimportant to Go With Integrated Dual Diagnosis Care

As rare as a dual diagnosis treatment center may be, it is rarer still to be able to find rehabs offering it in its most advanced form: integrated dual diagnosis rehab. In rehab of this kind, treatment is offered by a team of psychiatrists, psychologists and addiction treatment in Williamsport from professionals working together, rather than separately.

Working in consultation with one another, they ensure that the patient is treated in a way that makes sense for each one of the disorders involved. There is rarely any back-and-forth over problems, incompatibilities or disagreements.

Putting in Research to Find Excellent Treatment

The rehab industry tends to not be very well-organized -- many rehabs are simply unable to offer the latest advances and addiction care. It's important to do your homework and find excellent and competent dual diagnosis treatment programs that do. When you do find excellent treatment for dual diagnosis in Williamsport, it'll greatly help your chances. Call now at (877) 804-1531.