Someone with a dual diagnosis is afflicted with both a drug or alcohol problem and an emotional or psychiatric disorder. Gatehouse Academy understands the complex rehabilitation procedures that are associated with dual diagnosis center, and we have treated many of our residents for this problem. Unfortunately, many substance abusers who are treated at other drug rehabs might be misdiagnosed as simply having a drug problem.

If the emotional aspect of recovery is not addressed, substance abuse has a much higher chance of reappearing after detoxification. Dual diagnosis is actually less rare than many people realize. In fact, 53 percent of drug abusers and 37 percent of alcoholics have emotional problems which intensify the abuse. On the other side of the coin, 29 percent of people who have diagnosed emotional problems also abuse drugs or alcohol. These conditions cross-reference each other, and it is easy to see why.

Emotional problems rarely have easy answers, yet substance abuse quickly takes away the pain. In many cases, drugs act as a quick solution to what is otherwise a complex psychological problem. Common mental conditions that are associated with dual diagnosis include depression, anxiety, and even schizophrenia. A dual diagnosis can manifest itself in the abuse of drugs and an eating disorder.

Depression treatment can only be successful if it’s tailored to the individual needs of individual patients. Depression is a profoundly personal disease, one that never afflicts any two victims in quite the same way. To beat it, you need your own battle plan, not someone else’s. The best depression treatment program is the kind that can give you just that. In fact, depression treatment can’t help you get better on any terms other than those.

The practical implication here is that you have to make the right choice in selecting a depression treatment center. Remember, there are no guarantees in the depression treatment process. Some facilities really can help their patients get where they need to go. Some can’t. For your own sake, for the sake of the people who care about you…let today be the day you learn how to tell the difference. Given the stakes, you simply can’t afford to make the wrong decision.