Check out the press release from PR web titled: GateHouse Academy Trains Next Generation of Dual Diagnosis Clincians and Drug Rehab Specialists

The press release takes a look at how Gatehouse Academy trains graduate level students in community based treatment for addiction in young adults.  Gatehouse Academy is the premier source for young adult drug rehab, and trains the counselors of tomorrow to be effective in dual diagnosis treatment.

Dual diagnosis treatment is being treated for an addiction and a mental illness at the same time. These are referred to as co-occurring disorders, meaning an addiction and a mental illness.

Traditional addiction treatment can be quite confrontational, whereas traditional treatment for mental disorders can be nurturing. Because of this, dual diagnosis treatment focuses on creating new methods and interventions are needed. This type of treatment is more non-confrontational than the traditional addiction treatment.

Dual diagnosis treatment started around 1984 in an outpatient facility in New York. This is according to a SAMHSA article. After doing preliminary research on this type of treatment, it found that dual diagnosis treatment was more effective than traditional addiction treatment. It helped people who had been bouncing around to different treatment centers get help for everything in one place.

Dual diagnosis treatment goes through phases of interventions. It focuses on readiness to accept treatment. The readiness levels are starting points for treatment, rather than confrontation.

This type of treatment put a focus on exploration and acknowledgment. According to the article:

This includes:

* attaining a level of trust necessary to discuss their own use of substances and/or

symptoms of mental illness;

* the exploration and subsequent discovery of any problems or interaction affects that

result from substance use and mental health symptoms;

* considerations and motivation for addressing these problems;

* active engagement in a process of treatment that seeks to eliminate symptoms;

* attainment of partial or full remission;

* and participation in an individualized maintenance regime for relapse prevention.

These programs are implemented as components of existing mental health, and substance

abuse programs, and thereby provide integrated treatment.

Dual diagnosis treatment is an important tool to have in a rehabilitation center. It offers options for people needing recovery.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), a depressive disorder “interferes with daily life, normal functioning, and causes pain for both the person with the disorder and those who care about him or her.” Depression is a brain disorder and although research is still being conducted to determine the exact causes, the NIMH states “it likely results from a combination of genetic, biochemical, environmental, and psychological factors.” Alcohol is a well-known depressant drug, which means it relaxes the body and causes a person’s reaction time and mood to be altered through slowing down the central nervous system. Since alcohol has a direct impact on the brain, and it also alters a person’s biochemistry, the possibility that alcohol may trigger depression has been worth scientific study.

In New Zealand, a new study has been conducted to determine if alcohol may cause depression. Over 1,000 adults were monitored for alcohol abuse and depression at different ages – 17 to 18, 20 to 21 and 24 to 25. The results of the study were unable to conclusively link alcohol as a cause of depression, but rather indicated that alcohol may trigger a genetic marker that increases the risk of major depression.

“The underlying mechanisms that give rise to such an association are unclear; however, it has been proposed that this link may arise from genetic processes in which the use of alcohol acts to trigger genetic markers that increase the risk of major depression. In addition, further research suggests that alcohol’s depressant characteristics may lead to periods of depressed affect among those with alcohol abuse or dependence.”

Major Depressive Disorder is estimated to affect approximately 14.8 million people, or over 6% of the American population each year. Even though alcohol cannot conclusively be associated as a cause of depression, research shows that the two are connected. People who are suffering from or diagnosed with depression would be well-advised to discuss their alcohol consumption with their doctor to determine if drinking is right for them.

Criminal activity is often associated with drug use. A survey completed in 2004 showed that 17% of state inmates and 18% of federal inmates said they committed the crime(s) that they were then serving time for while under the influence of drugs in order to obtain money for drugs. Of the inmates, 14% were using marijuana and 11% were using cocaine or crack.

Though for every crime there will be inmates that were sober and those that were under the influence when committed, the majority of the inmates that were using committed robbery, weapons violation, burglary, and motor vehicle theft.

An interesting note is that 74% of state prisoners with a mental health problem and 56% of those without were addicted to or abused alcohol or drugs. Over a third of state prisoners with a mental health issue said they were on drugs when they committed their offense. This is of interest because it points out the correlation between dual-diagnosis and drug abuse.

Dual diagnosis treatment centers are rehabilitation facilities structured for patients with a chemical dependency and an emotional or psychiatric illness. Both of these affect the person physically, psychologically, socially and spiritually. The treatment centers that address both of these issues deal with them separately but they are linked together during rehab to help the addict with the correct medications, if needed, and to teach a new set of behaviors for when out of rehab, from ways to cope with the mental illness to the skills needed to maintain sobriety once back into mainstream society. The ultimate goal of dual diagnosis drug treatment centers in abstinence and medical compliance.

Are we as a society obsessed with celebrities? Perez Hilton’s Hollywood gossip site had a record number of page views the day after Brittany Spears hit the news on January 4^th.   In the course of 24 hours, the site had over 10 million page views. To quote Perez “That’s insane!” 

A large percentage of people with drug and alcohol addicitons, both in recovery and not, are suffering from a dual diagnosis. This means they not only have substance abuse issues, but also issues concerning mental illness. The latest speculation on Britney Spears has been that she is in need of dual diagnosis treatment.  I hope and pray that Britney seeks help once again and that any underlying mental issues can be treated as well.

With the proper care and desire, even those with the most severe dual diagnosis can recover. 

According to Dr. Diana Kirschner, who has not treated Spears but is an expert on the subject, "people who show patterns of behavior like Britney are suffering from a dual diagnosis. They have both a substance abuse problem and a bipolar disorder or manic disorder."

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An often asked question is, “why do so many addicts suffer from other mental illnesses?" and also, “which came first, the mental illness or the addiction?”  Researchers at the Indiana University Medical School are looking beyond the widespread conclusion that addiction is the result of ‘self-medication’ in response to an existing mental health challenge, and are investigating the function and health of the brain itself. Dual diagnosis is common yet difficult to treat. Clinical reports cite that at least half the people who seek help with addiction or mental-health treatment have co-occurring disorders. The research team led by Andrew Chambers, MD, has found that the link between addiction and mental illness may be isolated to a walnut-sized part of the brain, the ‘amygdala’ as related to its integrity and development. Their findings are promising, leading toward improved effectiveness in the treatments for dual diagnosis.

"Given that the experimental and control rats were raised in the same tightly controlled conditions, the only difference being their brain status, researchers concluded that the integrity of the amygdala was the root cause of both impaired fear behavior and heightened drug response."

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Gatehouse Academy is an extended care treatment center for young men and women in need of long term drug rehab or alcohol rehab. We offer the opportunity for young adults from the ages of 17-25 to learn life skills, continue formalized education, enhance physical well-being, and recover from the detrimental effects of chemical dependency.

If you have any questions please contact us.