Struggling with a drug or alcohol addiction is always challenging. However, those who deal with more than one issue may find themselves in a uniquely demanding predicament. Recovery from two or more elements, whether drugs or a mental illness, requires a custom-built and highly individualized program. A dual diagnosis treatment program helps patients achieve sobriety by uncovering the root causes of addiction and addressing the role of mental health in addiction. Unfortunately, treatment programs tend to overlook the mental aspects of addiction, focusing primarily on the physiological dependence on drugs or alcohol.

Bayview Recovery, located in Tacoma, Washington, is a recovery center that treats substance abuse and co-occurring disorders. Through several different treatment modalities, we give our patients the tools they need for an everlasting recovery. Have you or a loved one has struggled with depression or anxiety and has used drugs or alcohol to self-medicate? If so, a dual diagnosis treatment program like the one we offer at Bayview Recovery may be right for you. Our therapists and counselors are ready to provide the techniques and tools you need to start living the life you’ve always wanted. Call now at 855.478.3650 to speak with one of our compassionate staff members on how you can get started in the exciting life of recovery.

3 Benefits of Dual Diagnosis for Your Mental Health

Dual diagnosis treatment offers our clients a range of benefits.

1. Learn New and Effective Coping Skills

Healthy coping strategies help people deal with difficult situations or feelings healthily and productively. Without coping techniques, negative emotions are extremely difficult to navigate, leading to stress or panic attacks without resolve. There are numerous benefits to mental health when an individual uses coping strategies effectively, such as:

• Lower levels of anxiety or stress
• Ability to learn new things and accept change
• Higher self-confidence
• A positive outlook on life
• Reducing health risks
• Minimizing the risk of substance abuse
• Ability to effectively deal and bounce back from negative emotions or situations
• Letting go of negative emotions associated with a situation

Each person has a unique way of coping, and the process improves as long as these strategies are practiced. Life can throw unexpected and difficult challenges your way at any time, but by showing resilience through healthy and positive coping techniques, you can prevail over adversity.

2. Addressing Substance Abuse

Many people use alcohol and drugs to self-medicate the symptoms associated with mental health issues. A person struggling with an undiagnosed mental health disorder may feel despair and confusion in their thoughts and feelings, leading to desperation in figuring out how to alleviate these feelings. In the long-term, using drugs and alcohol to self-medicate can make matters significantly worse.

A substance use disorder can put an individual with mental illness in their family history at alarming risks of developing a serious mental health disorder. A dual diagnosis treatment program can address each individual and their relationship to substances and correlate it to their mental health. A successful recovery is dependent upon addressing both of the co-occurring disorders.

3. Knowledge and Understanding

A dual diagnosis treatment program provides knowledge and understanding of struggles that were not evident to you in the past. Understanding your mental health disorder can give you an understanding of why your substance use crossed over into problem territory. You can equip yourself with the tools necessary to begin living a positive life through newfound understanding.

Contact Bayview Recovery

At Bayview Recovery, we offer therapy treatment programs that are beneficial to a dual diagnosis. The therapy programs we offer that aid a dual diagnosis includes:

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy program
• Dialectical behavior therapy program
• Individual therapy program
• Family therapy program
• Group therapy program
• Trauma therapy program

Being involved in multiple programs alongside your personalized dual diagnosis treatment program can immensely increase your chances of a successful recovery. If you suspect that you or a loved one has been living with a possible dual diagnosis, call one of our admission specialists today at 855.478.3650 to begin the process of healing and recovery.