Dual Diagnosis Co-Occurring Disorder Treatment for Women

The term dual diagnosis refers to the presence of a substance abuse or chemical dependence issue in addition to a serious mental-health problem in an individual.

Substance abuse or chemical dependence unfortunately occurs quite commonly in people who also have severe mental illness. This is important given that people with a serious mental illness are far more at risk of engaging in violence, being incarcerated, or putting themselves in harmful situations that could lead to serious health issues or in many cases death. Individuals with co-occurring disorders are also at higher risk of being noncompliant with treatment.

Dual diagnosis treatment is for those who suffer from the aforementioned co-occurring disorders – mental illness and substance abuse. Research has strongly indicated that to recover fully, an individual with co-occurring disorder needs treatment for both problems – focusing on one does not ensure the other will go away. Dual diagnosis services integrate assistance for each condition, helping people recover from both in one setting, at the same time.

Dual diagnosis treatment at Sure Haven includes many different types of assistance that go beyond standard therapy or medication: assertive outreach, job and housing assistance, family counseling, even money and relationship management. The personalized treatment is viewed as long-term and can begin at whatever stage of recovery the consumer is in. Positivity, hope and optimism are at the foundation of integrated treatment.

The treatment of dual diagnosis seems to be less effective when treatment of their mental illness is separate from the treatment of the individual’s chemical dependency. More successful are integrated treatment programs that include interventions for both disorders. Such interventions are all the more improved by the inclusion of assessment, intensive case management, motivational interventions, behavior interventions, family treatment as well as services for housing, rehabilitation, and medication treatment.

The primary goals of substance abuse or addiction treatment and dual diagnosis treatment at Sure Haven are abstinence, relapse prevention, and rehabilitation.

During the initial stage of abstinence, an individual who suffers from chemical dependency may need help avoiding or lessening the effects of withdrawal. That process is called detoxification or ‘detox.’ That aspect of treatment is usually performed in a hospital or other inpatient setting, where medications used to lessen withdrawal symptoms and frequent medical monitoring can be provided.

Often much more challenging and time consuming than recovery from the physical aspects of addiction is psychological addiction. Sure Haven’s inpatient treatment center for women is an incredible place to lay the psychological, emotional and spiritual foundation for long-term sobriety. Following treatment, most of our clients elect to move in to one of the homes in our gorgeous sober living community.

Sure Haven provides a safe, healthy, supportive and structured environment where women can embrace sobriety and recreate their lives. Our goal is to help women halt the process of addiction, improve life skills, and reclaim a sense of self-worth on the road to achieving long-term success and happiness in recovery.