The Value of Residential Drug and Alcohol Treatment For Dual Diagnosis Patients

Removing Outside Influences in Residential Rehab

Perhaps it goes without saying that a residential facility has a more positive atmosphere than a hospital or clinic. After all, the setting is more relaxed and peaceful, more open and caring. It just feels different. There is no extra added stress, as it is a new environment for those entering treatment. It is also away from all the situations that trigger anxiety and problematic behaviors. The same undo stress that leads to an increase in alcohol and drug abuse.

There is really no comparison to a residential facility when it comes to dependency treatment. A health clinic doesn’t stand a chance when it is put in a side-by-side comparison with a residential treatment facility. This is why we at LifeSync Malibu are quite confident in what we are able to accomplish. We’ve helped treat a myriad of dependency challenges, often issues exacerbated by mental health problems. We are a cut above other residential treatment centers (RTCs) as we have an actual medical doctor at our facility, in fact, he’s our founder!

Residential Treatment Facilities Can Better Deal with Dual Diagnosis

It is more common than not to find mental health and behavioral problems with dependency patients. Mental health anomalies are often a catalyst for addiction in the first place. Sometimes, long-term drug use or alcohol addiction is the cause of the psychological or mental health challenge. In fact, it has been our experience that most drug and alcohol dependency cases do include a mental health component.

In a residential setting, the patient is at ease. There is a higher trust factor, and better participation. There is a solid interaction between the patient and the staff. Everyone has the same goal. Everyone is there because they want to be there. The staff has a vested interest in the patient’s success, and the patient starts to realize there is hope after all. There is buy-in for all concerned. The patient wants their life back, and the staff takes a personal interest in the patient as a real person, someone who really matters.

Call 866-491-4426 to Speak With an Addiction Specialist

Patients with Dual Diagnosis Often Respond Better in Residential Programs 

There are many common mental health issues associated with addiction. Luckily, most are treatable. We all have some psychological baggage, some we may not even be aware of. Sometimes we will feel a certain way about a situation and wonder later why it was such a big deal to us. Most of these things are fleeting responses and only temporary; however, some are recurring, chronic or acute. The more serious mental health issues require a little more time and observation.

Depression and mood disorders are common. The number of folks suffering from PTSD, panic attacks, and extreme stress is on the rise. Couple this with personality and psychotic disorders and you can see why addiction professionals a significant need to fill. Psychotic disorders are things like hallucinations and schizophrenia. Personality disorders are things like paranoia, ADHD, phobias, and OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder). All of these tend to be exacerbated by drugs and alcohol addiction. (cite: 1).

A residential treatment facility has more time to help folks with mental health challenges deal with the roller coaster of emotions that occur as one experiences substance dependency withdrawals. It allows the staff to better understand where the patient is coming from as a customized treatment program is set into action.

You can see how dependency issues and mental health challenges go hand-in-hand and are often linked. You cannot have successful treatment of one without addressing the other as well.

Why Is Residential Treatment Better

There are many reasons why residential treatment is best, especially when it comes to dual diagnosis. Let’s take a look at just a few:

1.) With a residential treatment facility, the individual is taken out of the setting or environment where recurring triggers are causing adverse behavior. This literally takes a load off their mind and alleviates common stress points. Residential treatment is calmer and easy going. Going to an addiction health clinic for a few hours and returning home to the very situations causing the stress makes treatment difficult, if not impossible. Attending appointments at a clinic only prolongs the arduous process causing more stress on top of the current stress. This is a recipe for relapse and can be a frustrating force for future failure.

2.) Residential treatment offers more time for the mentally afflicted to adjust to new behavioral norms and develop positive patterns. It offers the patient time to reflect, reason, and modify how they respond to the stressful triggers they are dealing with. It allows the treatment team time to observe the personalized treatment program adapting as the treatment progresses.

3.) Top notched residential facilities have support staff immediately available. These are trained professionals able to help 24/7. Health clinics simply cannot match this level of care. Nor can well-intentioned family members maintain the patience needed to help one through an addiction challenge or a dependency problem when mental health disorder factors are involved.

You can quickly see why residential treatment is far superior and why it works (cite: 2, 3, 4). Years of going to a health clinic and tearing the family apart at home seldom achieve successful results. When mental health issues are coupled with drug or alcohol dependency it becomes far more than any family can handle on their own. It takes a trained team and a residential treatment facility to deal with a dual diagnosis patient in the most optimal way.

Treatment For Dual Diagnosis at Life Sync Malibu Drug and Alcohol Rehab

So, to answer your question: “Why is LifeSync’s residential treatment facility so much better?”

Because at LifeSync Malibu we believe in treating the whole person and that means mind, body, and spirit.

You can’t get that in a clinic, and when it comes to dependency and mental health issues ‘do-it-yourself programs’ rarely work.

Call 866-491-4426 to Speak With an Addiction Specialist

References:

1.) “Addiction treatment services and co-occurring disorders: Prevalence estimates, treatment practices, and barriers,” by Mark McGovern, Haiyi Xie, Sam Segal, Lauren Siembab, and Robert Drake, published in The Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, Volume 31, Issue 3, October 2006, pp. 267-275.

2.) “Overview of 1-year follow-up outcomes in the Drug Abuse Treatment Outcome Study (DATOS),” by R.L. Hubbard, S.G. Craddock, P.M. Flynn, J. Anderson, and R.M. Etheridge, published by The Journal of Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 11(4):291-298, 1998.

3.) National Institute on Drug Abuse Website – article; “Principles of Drug Addiction Treatment: A Research-Based Guide – Types of Treatment Programs.”

4.) “Traditional approaches to the treatment of addiction,” by Michael Miller, A.W. Graham, and T.K. Schultz, published in Principles of Addiction Medicine, Washington, D.C., American Society of Addiction Medicine, 1998.