Resurgence Behavioral Health Offers Dual Diagnosis Treatment to Simultaneously Tackle Addiction and Mental Health Disorders

Costa Mesa, California -

Addiction is often a complex condition that can’t be treated alone but must be considered to co-occur with one or more underlying mental illnesses. Resurgence Behavioral Health, an accredited detox and rehab program in Costa Mesa, California, recognizes the importance of this approach and includes co-occurring disorders in its array of sophisticated addiction treatments.

Dual Diagnosis, co-occurring disorders are surprisingly common in substance use disorders. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) states that the combination afflicts some 38 percent of U.S. residents struggling with addiction – an estimated 8 million of 21 million addiction cases. NAMI also reveals that people who have mental illness are twice as likely to turn to substance use as a way of “self-medicating.”

Even more alarming is NAMI’s finding that the combination of addiction and mental illness can make each other worse. Alcohol and drug use can make the symptoms of mental illness worse, and prolonged use of substances increases the risk of developing a mental illness. People struggling with mental illness use about 38 percent of all alcohol, 44 percent of all cocaine and over half of all opioid prescriptions consumed in the U.S. “The more severe the mental illness, the greater the likelihood a person will also use substances,” NAMI warns on its website. “While it can be difficult to know if one condition causes the other, or even which ‘came first,’ there is often a clear connection between the two.”

Despite the clear need for appropriate treatment, fewer than 8 percent of those who need it are receiving it, according to the California Health Care Foundation. They can find the care they need at Resurgence Behavioral Health, which treats several co-occurring mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression and bipolar, obsessive-compulsive and post-traumatic stress disorders. Treatment also targets mood disorders, suicidal thoughts or attempts, self-harm behaviors, poor impulse control, schizophrenia, delusions, hallucinations and violent behavior toward others. The treatment team helps patients develop skills that can aid in managing their addiction and mental health, such as effective communication and the regulation of anger and other emotions. As they master these critical skills, they develop improved self-esteem, which helps them resist the urge to use alcohol or drugs as a coping mechanism.

At Resurgence Behavioral Health, therapy for co-occurring disorders is part of a comprehensive program for substance use disorders in all forms, whether or not mental illness is part of the diagnosis.

Treatment usually begins with clinically supervised detox, which uses medication when needed to relieve the often painful effects of withdrawal. Patients then move on to inpatient (residential) rehab, providing a safe, distraction-free space to focus on recovery. The next stage is outpatient care, when the patient is ready for less intensive treatment and is judged to be able to live at home while attending treatment and continuing to receive in-person and virtual treatment from therapists.

Care doesn’t stop when the patient leaves formal treatment. Aftercare programs provide the ongoing support the patient needs to promote lasting recovery from drug or alcohol addiction.

Care is delivered by a multidisciplinary team of psychiatrists, psychologists, physicians, nurses and behavioral health therapists, who work with each client to assess their unique needs and provide a customized holistic treatment plan. They provide a range of evidence-based treatment approaches, including individual, group and family therapy sessions. Along with traditional modalities, treatment may include alternative approaches such as art, music and recreational therapy.

For more information on treatment of substance use disorder for yourself or a loved one, including accompanying mental health disorders, visit Resurgence Behavioral Health or call 855-458-0050.