World Class Drug Rehab Center Urges Focus on the Benefits of Dual Diagnosis
Jacksonville, FL (PRWEB) May 7, 2007
Lakeview Health, a center for alcohol and drug rehab in Florida, urges concentration on Dual Diagnosis of Mental Disorders and their effect on Drug Treatment. Dual Diagnosis is a relatively new method of treating both mental health issues and addiction as interactive causal and Lakeview Health Systems is leading the push to drive medical professionals to recognize drug abuse and “self-medicating”.
According to staff members of the Lakeview Health Center, a center for alcohol and drug rehab in Florida, after many years of research and development, dual diagnosis services for clients with severe mental illness are emerging as an evidence-based practice. In a dual diagnosis, it is hard to determine which came first the addiction or the mental illness. While they are separate and independent, one thing is certain, both a mental illness and a chemical addiction problem require equal attention and help from a dual diagnosis treatment center.
Because these problems interact, it makes diagnosis, treatment and recovery more complex. By concentrating on the practice of dual diagnosis the staff at Lakeview Health have developed a successful program that is paving the way in innovative practices for Dual Diagnosis treatment centers.
Dual Diagnosis is a term used to describe the coexistence of drug addiction / alcoholism and a psychiatric disorder. Studies have shown that individuals with psychiatric problems are more prone to drug addiction and alcoholism and the medical staff at Lakeview have found that almost 60 percent of people treated with drug addictions or alcoholism, experience a psychiatric problem of one kind or another.
With this in mind, it is very difficult in early recovery to correctly diagnose the addict or alcoholic psychiatrically and treat them for dual diagnosis. When a person enters drug rehab or alcohol rehab and is admitted to detox, they are obviously experiencing alcohol withdrawal or drug withdrawal. Many of the symptoms people exhibit and experience while in drug detox or alcohol detox mimic psychiatric symptoms which may prompt symptoms for a dual diagnosis. While every patient is provided with a psychiatric consultation to rule out or acknowledge the existence of a psychiatric disorder, Lakeview finds it to be in the best interest of their patients to try and wait until they are medically stable before making any firm dual diagnosis. If a patient reports a high level of discomfort, accompanied by symptoms, then the situation is immediately.
When dealing with dual diagnosis patients it is important to understand that many addicts and alcoholics unknowingly used drugs and alcohol as a means to cope with an untreated psychiatric disorder. What they didn’t realize was that continued use would become an addiction, turning an already complex situation into an even more complicated one. Because these tendencies repressed a large portion of individuals who enter Lakeview Health for treatment, dual diagnosis is a large part of the recovery process.
Unfortunately, many individuals are misdiagnosed with dual diagnosis. The reason for the difficulty in identifying a person who has a dual diagnosis is that one disorder can mimic another. Many people suffering from drug addiction or alcohol addiction may be depressed, but that depression is the direct result of their drug addiction or alcohol addiction. A thorough evaluation must take place after the addict or alcoholic has completed detox. Even then, it may take several weeks for the brain to begin to regenerate and the person to stabilize from a psychological and physical perspective. To ensure that individuals are treated correctly for dual diagnosis, Lakeview Health is staffed by an impressive team of psychiatrically and medically trained clinicians who are dedicated to giving individuals the attention they deserve in helping them onto the path of recovery.
Through their research and development Lakeview’s top dual diagnosis Specialists have now determined that 37% of those involved in alcohol abuse and 53% of those involved in drug abuse who are admitted to their treatment center also have at least one serious mental illness and are in need of dual diagnosis treatment.
Lakeview Health’s state of the art and world renown treatment facility in Jacksonville, Florida is now one of the nations leading centers for dual diagnosis treatment. Aside from their official website Lakeviewhealth.com, they’ve recently launched a new website dedicated solely to the treatment and study of dual diagnosis at dual-diagnosis-treatment-center.com
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