Dual Diagnosis Treatment Centers in Los Angeles and Malibu, California
Oro House Dual Diagnosis Treatment Centers in Los Angeles, and Malibu, California offer evidence-based mental health and substance use addiction treatment for successful recovery of co-occurring disorders.
Our dual diagnosis treatment team is comprised of licensed Doctorate and Masters level clinicians who are uniquely qualified at treating a combination of addiction and mental health issues together.
Although substance use and dependence is very often driven by an underlying psychiatric mental health condition, dual diagnosis rehab is still a relatively new treatment approach for addiction recovery.
What is Dual Diagnosis Treatment?
“Dual Diagnosis Treatment” is a term that describes a person who experiences both a mental health issue, such as depression, and a substance use disorder at the same time, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
It is also referred to as a “co-occurring disorder” because both disorders occur together simultaneously.
Today we know that individuals who are diagnosed with a dual diagnosis or co-occurring disorder must be treated for both conditions at the same time for recovery to be successful and long lasting. This wasn’t always the case in the past, until we gathered enough evidence to confirm its efficacy.
Prior to the early 1990s, people who experienced the symptoms of depression, anxiety, PTSD, trauma, or any other mental health issues were treated separately and independently from those who required treatment for alcohol or substance use dependence.
The conventional approach before that time was to treat addiction first, and once a person was sober and in recovery, the mental illness was then treated.
The addiction treatment community now understands that both mental health and addiction need to be addressed at the same time because they are often intertwined and connected, thereby amplifying the symptoms of each other.
Some people with depression may use drugs or alcohol to help cope with the symptoms of a depressive disorder. Other people with a substance use disorder may become depressed because of functional changes in the brain related to addiction.
For some individuals, it can be difficult to know exactly which condition occurred first until a thorough assessment has been completed and they have started a formal treatment program.
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Most Common Co-Occurring Disorders
It can be difficult to determine what are the most common co-occurring disorders because there is so much overlap in symptoms between the various mental health issues and addiction.
Mental illness and addiction are both conditions affecting the brain, and many people are diagnosed with several disorders at the same time since they can share similar traits and characteristics. In fact, diagnosing co-occurring disorders can be difficult and requires specialized expertise in both psychiatry and addiction.
For dual diagnosis treatment to be confirmed by a doctor after an assessment, two conditions must occur at the same time: addiction and mental illness combined.
To complicate matters, it’s quite common for people to have a dependence to multiple substances at the same time and also exhibit symptoms of multiple mental disorders.
Because each person is different, it’s best to use an individualized recovery approach that is personalized to best suit his or her unique needs and condition.
For the sake of simplification, it’s sometimes easier to consider all substances as “addiction” and pair this with common mental health issues.
Commonly used dual diagnosis addictive substances include:
- Alcohol
- Prescription medications
- Opioids
- Benzodiazepines
- Non-prescription drugs
- Heroin
- Cocaine
- Methamphetamine
- Marijuana
There are other substances not included in this list that qualify and many times several of them are regularly taken together.
Dual Diagnosis Statistics
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), people with co-occurring disorders represent the following dual diagnosis statistics from 2018:
- 7 million American adults struggled with co-occurring disorders
- 9 percent of adults with a substance use addiction also had a mental health condition
- 2 percent of adults with a mental illness also had a substance use disorder
- 5 percent of adults didn’t receive treatment for addiction or mental illness
- Only 9.1 percent of adults with a substance use disorder AND mental illness combined received treatment for both conditions
Dual diagnosis treatment is an evidence-based method for addressing the conditions of addiction and mental illness together by targeting the root causes of both issues simultaneously.
The most common co-occurring disorders we see at our dual diagnosis treatment centers in Los Angeles and Malibu include:
- Depression and Addiction
- Anxiety and Addiction
- PTSD and Addiction
- ADHD and Addiction
- Bipolar Disorder and Addiction
Of course, any of these substances or mental disorders can be intermixed into hundreds of combinations, which is why individualized dual diagnosis treatment is necessary for the best outcomes.
Common Symptoms of Co-Occurring Disorders
People with co-occurring disorders experience a wide spectrum of symptoms related to poor mental health and addiction issues.
Typical Dual Diagnosis Symptoms include:
- Episodes of sadness
- Feelings of hopelessness
- Severe mood swings
- Strained personal relationships
- Flashbacks of traumatic events
- Engaging in risky or impulsive behavior
- Mental confusion
- Poor mental and physical health
- Detachment from family and friends
- Unemployment
- Risk of becoming homeless
- Suicidal thoughts and ideations
Those who successfully complete a rehab program can expect to find relief and healing from these symptoms and an improved outlook on life leading to long-lasting health and wellness.
Do All Addiction Treatment Centers Offer Dual Diagnosis Programs?
It’s a common misconception that all drug and alcohol rehab centers provide dual diagnosis treatment programs. Many facilities will say they can help with addiction and mental health issues. But the reality is, most do not have doctors or staff with the training or credentials required for dual diagnosis recovery.
Co-occurring disorders can be difficult to treat because recovery takes longer for both conditions to be addressed than simply addiction alone.
These types of conditions also require a treatment staff with experience in addiction medicine AND psychiatric issues.
In fact, placing a client with a dual disorder in an environment without experienced doctors, and a staff that is only trained to deal with addiction by itself, can compromise the care of the patient, as well as all of the clients in the facility.
It can also place an extra burden on the staff because they don’t have an understanding of mental health issues.
When looking for treatment for yourself or a family member, always consider the staff experience and credentials to ensure doctors are represented and not just therapists without professional medical training.
Treating only addiction and not the underlying mental health conditions at the same time is a recipe for relapse, and will result in recovery being unsuccessful.
Oro House Dual Diagnosis Treatment in Los Angeles and Malibu, California
At Oro House, our clients receive the highest quality of integrated care specifically designed by leading pioneers of integrative behavioral health and dual diagnosis rehab treatment.
We offer parallel treatment of mental health and substance use disorders simultaneously provided by our Doctorate and Master’s level team of healthcare professionals.
Our specialized care and treatment protocols integrate psychotherapeutic medications, such as anti-anxiety, antidepressant, and other psychotherapeutic medications that have proven to be successful for treating co-occurring disorders when necessary.
The Oro House Compassionate Care Model® is inspired by a supportive therapy approach that reinforces self-esteem and builds self-confidence instead of confrontational styles used by other treatment centers.
We value our inclusive treatment strategy that fosters a cohesive bond between family members, partners, spouses, and other significant relationships as a vital element of our treatment approach.
Our comprehensive program includes medically supervised detox, residential inpatient rehab, outpatient treatment programs, and aftercare accommodations such as sober living, support groups, and a robust alumni program.
We also have programs specifically designed for young adults and professional executives.
In addition, we provide Incidental Medical Services (IMS) to ensure the safety of treatment services and quality of medical care related to each of our client’s long-term recovery for dual diagnosis and co-occurring disorders.
Oro House is Joint Commission Accredited, LegitScript Certified, and licensed by the California Department of Healthcare Services to ensure the highest level of safe and effective care for our clients.
In 2024, our dual diagnosis treatment program was named one of America’s Best Addiction Treatment Centers in America by Newsweek and Statista for the 5th year in a row.