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Mental health and substance use are closely linked. People who face mental health challenges may turn to substance use in a form of self-medication, and people who have substance use issues may have side effects that appear to be mental health disorders. One of the main concerns that friends and loved ones may have for someone entering substance use disorder treatment is how it will affect their mental health.
The good news is that treatment facilities for substance use disorders have trained mental health counselors on staff who know how to manage the closely linked issues. The ideal scenario is for a patient to emerge from drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers with new skills and understandings of themselves and their mental health so that they can improve their circumstances going forward.
What About Dual Diagnosis?
In some cases, doctors will determine that a patient has a dual diagnosis, meaning they have both a mental health disorder and a substance use disorder. There are many treatment centers specializing in the treatment of dual diagnosis in California so it should be possible to find one that is a great fit for yourself or your loved one who needs treatment.
Receiving a dual diagnosis can feel scary and overwhelming. While it can be more complex to treat, skilled clinicians in licensed facilities have the resources to support people in their progress towards overcoming a dual diagnosis to live a happy and healthy life.
Identifying The Stages of Substance Use Disorder
There are several different theories that are commonly accepted in psychological practice that outline the stages of substance use disorder. Some models list four stages, others as many as seven.
Although each theory varies slightly as to the specifics and semantics, the stages follow the same general phases:
Early/Experimental Use
How do you identify a loved one at this stage? This stage commonly applies to younger people who may be trying drugs and/or alcohol for the first time, although it can happen to anyone at any age.
Troublingly, nearly everyone in this day and age will attain this stage–we just can’t know until afterwards who will progress through the stages to the point of a problem.
Regular/Risky Use
After experimentation and first use comes regular use, which is inherently risky. Loved ones in this stage may appear to be engaging in regular substance use but not necessarily seem to have a “problem.” Unfortunately, with regular, casual use there is always the risk of progressing to a more addictive stage.
Dependent/Addictive Use
Users in this stage may start missing commitments, injuring themselves while using, or otherwise developing issues with their substance use. The issue may become very obvious to those around this person, but sometimes the person is excellent at keeping it hidden and you may not put the pieces together. Unfortunately, even in the face of obvious problems like broken relationships or lost jobs, people in the dependent/addictive stage may not believe they have a problem.
Reaches Crisis/Seeks Treatment
In the crisis stage, sometimes tragedies occur, such as an overdose, hospitalization, or jail time. The best case scenario once things have reached the crisis stage is an intervention or other realization in which no one is seriously hurt and the person agrees to seek treatment.
Remission or Relapse
Seeking treatment ideally leads to remission in which people are reformed and abstain from substances in the future, but the reality is that most people will relapse in some fashion at some point and continue in the cycle of the phases until they are able to escape.
What Are The Solutions?
There is a wide array of solutions for overcoming substance use disorder. When you have identified the issues, determined the diagnosis, and are ready to seek treatment, one of the best choices for full recovery is treatment in a drug rehabilitation center. There are many options for drug rehabilitation in California and you can easily find a treatment center that works for you and your family.
