Recovering from a mental health crisis can leave you with a lot to think about. You may be learning how to manage difficult emotions, rebuild routines, reconnect with people you care about, or recognize the signs that your mental health needs more attention.
There may also be another part of your experience that needs to be addressed as well: substance use. If you have both a mental health condition and a substance use disorder, you may have what is called a dual diagnosis, or co-occurring disorders. Understanding how these conditions can affect one another can help you get treatment that addresses the whole picture rather than focusing on only one part of what you are experiencing.
What Is a Dual Diagnosis?
A dual diagnosis means you are living with both a mental health disorder and a substance use disorder at the same time. These conditions can take many forms. For example, you might experience depression and alcohol use disorder, anxiety and opioid use disorder, or bipolar disorder and stimulant use disorder.
The relationship between a mental health disorder and a substance use disorder is often complicated. You might use alcohol or drugs in an attempt to quiet anxiety, escape painful memories, cope with depression, or simply get through a difficult day. At the same time, ongoing substance use can worsen your mood, increase anxiety, interfere with sleep, or make other psychiatric symptoms harder to manage.
In some cases, symptoms caused or worsened by substance use can also look similar to symptoms of a mental health condition. That is one reason a thorough evaluation matters.
Having a dual diagnosis does not mean you have failed in your recovery. Both mental health conditions and substance use disorders are treatable, and getting the right support can make a meaningful difference.
Signs You May Be Dealing With a Dual Diagnosis
Recognizing a co-occurring disorder is not always easy, particularly after a mental health crisis. You may still be trying to understand what caused your symptoms in the first place.
Pay attention if you notice that you:
- Use alcohol or drugs to cope with difficult emotions, anxiety, memories, or stress.
- Feel significantly more depressed, anxious, irritable, or unstable when using substances or trying to stop.
- Have difficulty controlling your substance use even when you know it is affecting your mental health.
- Experience major changes in sleep, mood, behavior, or thinking.
- Notice that substance use has contributed to relationship, work, financial, or legal problems.
- Have experienced mental health symptoms before your substance use became a problem.
- Find that your psychiatric symptoms and substance use seem to trigger or reinforce one another.
These signs do not automatically mean you have a dual diagnosis. Only a qualified professional can evaluate your symptoms and determine what may be happening. Because mental health and substance use symptoms can overlap, comprehensive assessment is an important part of accurate diagnosis.
When Is It Time to Get Help?
You do not have to wait until you reach another crisis before asking for help. Consider talking with a mental health professional if substance use is interfering with your recovery, you are using substances to manage psychiatric symptoms, or you are having trouble maintaining progress on your own. Getting help early can allow you to address concerns before they become more difficult to manage.
Treatment is especially important if you are experiencing severe depression, overwhelming anxiety, psychosis, thoughts of hurting yourself or someone else, or an inability to safely manage substance use.
If you are having thoughts of suicide or are in immediate danger, call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
How Creekside Behavioral Health Treats Dual Diagnosis
At Creekside Behavioral Health, our dual diagnosis treatment focuses on both your mental health and substance use rather than treating either concern in isolation. Integrated care is recommended for people experiencing co-occurring disorders because it allows treatment providers to address the conditions together.
Treatment begins with a thorough evaluation to better understand your mental health symptoms, substance use, history, and individual needs. From there, your treatment team can develop a personalized plan that may include clinical, psychiatric, and holistic approaches.
Therapy may include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). These approaches can help you recognize patterns between thoughts, emotions, and behaviors while developing healthier ways to cope with distress. Family therapy can also help improve communication and give the people closest to you a better understanding of what you are experiencing.
Creekside also incorporates mindfulness and wellness practices, including yoga and meditation, to support stress management and help you develop healthier ways to respond to triggers and cravings.
Depending on your needs, Creekside provides inpatient and outpatient services, including partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient care. Inpatient treatment offers 24-hour support for people experiencing severe psychiatric symptoms or a mental health crisis, while outpatient programs provide continued structure as you work toward greater stability.
If you or someone you love is struggling with mental health symptoms and substance use, Creekside Behavioral Health in Kingsport, TN, is here to help. Contact us today to take the first step toward understanding what you are experiencing and finding the support you need.
