Mental Health And Substance Use Problems Disorders

This clinician wants to open his own dual diagnosis center with substance abuse disorders and mental health disorders. Many individuals with substance abuse issues also suffer from mental health issues. This counselor suffers from the disease of substance abuse and has made it his lifelong goal to help individuals with these types of issues.

Although the task force does effectively address the problem of substance abuse and addictive disorders, it does not effectively address co-occurring disorders. Early on in the text, a co-occurring disorder is defined as an individual who has a substance abuse disorder and a mental disorder at the same time. The task force mainly focuses on substance abuse. There are elements that are present in the treatment such as release prevention, engagement, and persuasion. The task force provides a number of interventions strategies address problems with substance use.

Substance abuse has been a known topic which has not been recognized and fully treated the way it should. Unlike general medicine, substance abuse treatments have their own facility and services apart from general settings, making it harder to get the recognition and the assistance needed to help the individuals in need. Both the Affordable Care Act and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA), which is a part of the US Department of Health and Human Services have promoted and established ways to enhance the quality of the treatment and the amount of treatment given.

I chose to visit a mental/ behavioral health agency, The Healthy Foundations Center, that works with many individuals who have been dually diagnosed to increase knowledge regarding substance abuse concerns. As a foster care agency, we are well prepared to work with children and families, however we are sometimes less prepared to meet the needs of parents who are also dealing with addiction. Currently, we cannot provide any medication management services, either, which is a service that could be beneficial to the clients we serve. I identified this agency because they have providers who are experienced in working with individuals with dual diagnosis, capable of meeting the complex needs of these families, as well as provide medication

The majority of research that exists on 12-step programs often focus on determining the success rate of 12-step programs such as AA. There is little to no research on problems associated with 12-step programs or problematic areas of 12-step programs. The little research that does exist argue that 12-step programs are not structured for comorbid individual, they may not be the best option for mild substance use disorder, and the central theme of powerlessness can conflict with a therapist’s theoretical orientation and be harmful to the therapeutic alliance. (Kelly & Myers, 2007, Laudet et al., 2004, L, Ingvarson, Richard, 1995). The National Institute of Mental Health (2013) has found that 43.6 million adults aged 18 and older have at least one mental illness and 45 percent of individuals with one mental disorder met criteria for two or more disorders. The presence of comorbid disorders can severely affect the treatment and outcome of individuals (Terra et al., 2006). Many studies have found that clients with a dual diagnosis experience increased rates of hospitalization and increased use of emergency services (Helzer & Pryzbeck, 1998). It is easy to imagine how hospitalization can interrupt treatment by making it difficulty for individuals to attend.

Mental illness or substance use is a factor that can have an impact on an individual’s quality of life. With a combination of both disorders, the effects can be more threatening to an individual’s well-being. Mental illness and substance use disorder co-occur at a high rate, and when both are present, the dually diagnosed faces many challenges that can significantly impair the individual’s quality of life. “Individuals who have the presence of co-occurring disorders have more severe symptoms, impairment, poorer functioning and worse prognosis than those who only have one disorder,” (Substance Abuse & Mental Health

Based on my experiences working with individuals involved in the criminal justice system, those suffering from co-occurring disorders is common. With the current opiate epidemic we are facing, I have come across a majority of individuals who are both opiate depended, as well as having a psychiatric diagnosis consisting of either, or both, depression and anxiety. When trying to provide services for these individuals, both their substance abuse and psychiatric issues need to be addressed. To be most effective, they need to be treated at the same time through integrated treatment. Based on the concept of “No wrong door”, the client will be provided with services to make sure they receive the appropriate treatment. After the client is assessed

People living with severe mental illness and have substance use disorder are considered to have Co-occurring Disorders (COD) and need an intervention method that can provide treatment for both conditions simultaneously. In recent studies, researchers have found that in order to help increase the success of treatment for people with COD, they should receive treatment for both their mental health symptoms and substance abuse issues at the same time as this also helps to reduce fragmented treatment in the mental health system. A report was prepared for the President's Office that discuses fragmented treatment in mental health system and the need to addressing this issue (The President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, 2003).There was

There is a wealth of literature about the relationship between substance use and mental illness. Bahorik, Newhill, and Eack (2013) reported that individuals who have a mental illness have a higher prevalence rate of substance use than individuals who do not have a mental illness. Fluery, Grenier, Bamvita, Perreault, and Caron (2014) cite that at least one half of people who develop a substance abuse problem report being diagnosed with a co-occuring mental disorder. There is an abundance of information in the field that provides support for the assertion that there are high rates of comorbidity, which leads into the question of why the two constructs are often found together. Specific factors such as demographics, types of mental illness and motivation for engaging in substance use are considered. Ratnasingham et al. (2013) conducted a study in Ontario on the burden of mental illness and found that the burden of living with comorbid substance use and mental illness increases the risk of early mortality and decreases overall quality of life, so much so that the consequence of living with each ailment is greater than the consequences of the four most common types of cancer and all other infectious diseases. The primary motivation for substance abuse is to cope with psychological distress or negative emotions stemming from

Many individuals suffer on a daily basis with one mental disorder let alone multiple. Few have the resources needed to cope and can turn to other methods of improvement without thinking about the potential outcomes of addictions and worsen their condition. Mental disorders are often than not linked to substance abuse because of the stigma placed over humanity. Society places such a constricting grasp on what is considered normal that people are hiding their symptoms and attempting to mask them to get by; only causing chaos to their lives. It is easier to try an attempt to mask symptoms with alcohol and other narcotics. I chose to focus on Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) mixed with Substance Abuse for the focus of this piece. All of this can be alleviated by erasing the stigma we 've placed and given these people the many methods of help they seek. One of the first things to think about is the comorbidity between abuse disorders and other mental disorders from an epidemiological standpoint. What is comorbidity exactly? The term was introduced to “refer to any distinct additional clinical entity that has existed or that may occur during the clinical course of a patient who has the index disease under study.” Which basically means when two or more medical conditions ensue simultaneously or consecutively in the same individual they are commonly said to be comorbid. 1

Substance abuse complicates almost every aspect of care for the person with a mental disorder. When drugs enter the brain, they can interrupt the work and actually change how the brain performs its jobs; these changes are what lead to compulsive drug use. Drug abuse plays a major role when concerning mental health. It is very difficult for these individuals to engage in treatment. Diagnosis for a treatment is difficult because it takes time to disengage the interacting effects of substance abuse and the mental illness. It may also be difficult for substance abusers to be accommodated at home and it may not be tolerated in the community of residents of rehabilitation programs. The author states, that they end up losing their support systems

It is suggested that, clinicians evaluate clients for further mental health disorders prior to the selection of MET (Martin, & Rehm, 2012). The pervasiveness, of this treatment would necessitate the management of all or any additional mental health disorders prior to using this intervention. This approach may also trigger feelings of defensiveness in the client. Although this intervention is effective for some clients, it is recommended that individuals with very severe or long-standing histories of substance dependence or addiction seek more intensive treatment before undergoing a trial of

It’s knowing some of these tips on identifying co-disorders, mental health, and cross cutting issues that are part of substance abuse counseling. Some important tips to me were on suicidality and nicotine dependence. Suicidality is not considered a mental health disorder but instead more of a high risk behavior. Suicide can be prevented with the proper diagnoses of mental health, co-occurring disorders, or very serious mood disorders. Nicotine dependency is in the DSM-IV and is considered a disorder, but has chief effects that are considered more medical, and not behavioral addiction. The information in the “Advice to the Counselor” on each co-disorder was very helpful in advising some good tips. Tips like developing a plan for increased safety, and establishing trust both real and perceived. Each disorder has specific criteria that must be meet before a diagnoses can be established, by a professional mental health counselor. The addiction counselor works in conjunction with the mental health provider to best address all the

8. Addicted or drug-abusing individuals with coexisting mental disorders should have both disorders treated in an integrated way - Dual diagnosis treatment is required to simultaneously address all potential causations of addiction.

Mental Health issues usually go hand and hand with addiction, and research shows how important it is to move quickly when an addict reaches out for help. “According to the National Institutes of Health, the most effective treatment strategy for addiction is to combine medications, when available, with behavioral therapy (Szalavitz).”. However, finding help is not always easy. As mentioned before, some programs will only accept a particular type of insurance, and most have a two to a six-month wait list. Most facilities will only treat the addiction component, but not the mental health aspect of a person’s condition. Another issue is that most programs have limited funds and capacity, so have to release patients before they are ready to go. These barriers increase a person’s chance of failure and relapse.