Dual diagnosis, also called co-occurring disorder, dual disorder, or comorbidity, means a person has a diagnosis of both a substance use disorder and a mental health disorder. Because one disorder can mask or heighten symptoms of the other, it is often difficult to determine which came first, and may make it more difficult to diagnose. (Read More…)
Addiction to alcohol, illicit drugs and pharmaceuticals is a rampant issue in America today. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reports approximately 23.5 million Americans are in need of treatment for an illicit drug or alcohol abuse problem. This data shows a vast number of United States citizens are in need of (Read More…)
Much has been written, discussed and studied around the common links between substance abuse and mental health. Long before scholars debated the actuality of such connections and scientific studies were first conducted on the subject, there was a pervasive anecdotal awareness that people struggling with addiction had a likelihood of experiencing additional forms of mental (Read More…)
The context in which people first hear the word ‘abstinence’ is not typically during recovery—however, for those undergoing treatment it is a term that describes one of the cornerstones of a successful life post-addiction. Abstinence is used in addiction treatment to describe the process of abstaining—meaning not engaging in, or avoiding—from addictive substances and/or behaviors. (Read More…)
