Defining Dual Diagnosis
Sadly, many individuals struggle with drug abuse. Dealing with drug abuse or dependence is extremely challenging and can be very hard to recover from, but being addicted to drugs can be even more difficult to manage when it occurs alongside one or more other mental health conditions. When people have both a drug abuse struggle along with at least a single mental health condition, they are diagnosed as having dual diagnosis, or co-occurring disorders. Sometimes dual diagnosis overwhelms individuals to the point that they don’t have motivation to try to recover from their drug abuse. But research shows that individuals who have been diagnosed with dual diagnosis are very treatable and fortunately, mental health care facilities and professionals have developed powerful rehab methods that help with this struggle.
Many forms of co-occurring disorders are possible when dual diagnosis is identified. People in this situation may struggle with addictions to any type of drugs including:
- Stimulants
- Hallucinogens
- Depressants
- Opioids
- Prescription medications
Further, individuals with dual diagnosis may struggle with the following mental conditions (there are many others):
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Bipolar disorder
- Schizophrenia
- Post-traumatic stress disorder