Methods And Discussion At The Current Time

DBT is designed to treat clients at all levels of severity and complexity of disorders. A growing body of empirical studies has examined DBT. DBT has been the subject of the most study and is the most widely used (Carson-Wong, Rizvi, & Steffel, 2013).

Authors in this article from the University of California observe and focus on the risks and rates involved in people that have a mental disorder and correlate it with incarceration as well as people with re-incarceration. While performing these studies researchers found an alarming number of people incarcerated had a severe mental illness and substance abuse issues. Much of the knowledge in numbers of people with a mental illness are brought from a correctional view, but researchers here try to also focus on numbers of people in the public mental health system as well.

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.

The research is limited in that there is enough on just the narrative of substance abuse and enough research on mental illnesses, but research is limited when it comes to dual diagnoses. There are inconsistencies within the research, where researchers fail to address advocacy at the state and federal levels; therefore not addressing the snowball effect of the poor

Individuals with a mental illness often turn to drugs or alcohol to reduce their symptoms, as opposed to or in addition to seeking treatment for their illness. This problem is much worse than previously imagined, with experts estimating 65 percent of prison inmates suffering from a dual diagnosis. The prevalence in the general population is likely very high also, thus anyone with a mental illness or substance abuse problem may find they need specialized care.

The human and economic toll of co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders in this country demands immediate attention. Though the problems associated with co-occurring disorders have long been acknowledged and discussed, there has been little consensus about how to accomplish needed system change. In this time period, there are many different disorders and illnesses that go unnoticed, and unknown.

A statistical piece of information that was interesting is that how the number of mental disorders increases as the number of substance abuse disorders increases as well. Services, U.D. (2005) states the likelihood of mental disorders rises alongside with substance abuse dependencies. With the rise of both abuses at the same time, it complicates treatment for the mental disorder patients that have drug use however, multiple drugs is normal for those who are substance abusers (Services, U.D., 2005). The reason this information is found to be interesting is because with the two disorders rising at the same level, it appears that the challenges will be harder and more co-occurring disorder patients are going to need help with their issues. As a counselor, one must be dually competent to treat these clients or have staff available to treat the clients who have co-occurring disorders to ensure an effective outcome.

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.

D.D. is a 50-year-old, African American male presenting with a number of anxiety and depressive symptoms. The client reports that he came to counseling for “extra support and someone to talk to.” D.D. has been struggling with mental health issues since he was young. Since the age of 15 he has been hospitalized on and off for “hearing voices.” In the early 1980’s he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and prescribed Risperdal to treat the symptoms. Since then, D.D. has been in a variety of mental health settings, including hospitals, day programs, and outpatient treatment. The client has an extensive alcohol and drug use history that he believes impacted his Schizophrenia. In the early 1980’s the client would use alcohol every day “to avoid the voices,” drinking “anything he could get his hands on.” He was also heavily involved with drugs at that time and regularly used marijuana, PCP, cocaine, and heroine. In 2000, the client was sentenced to eight years in jail for four bank robberies. While in jail, D.D. received mental health treatment and alcohol and drug treatment, which was greatly beneficial. When the client was released from jail in 2008, he was drug and alcohol free and was taken off of Risperdal.

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

In 2012, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported an estimated 9.6 million adults in the United States had a Serious Mental Illness. Of this 4% of the population, 4.9% were female, 3.2% male. Race varies greatly with about 8.5% of the population being American Indian/Alaska native. Hispanics, whites, and those identifying as two or more races make up about 4.3% each. Black is 3.4%, Asian 2%, and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander is 1.8% (Serious Mental Illness (SMI), 2012.). Of the individuals that have a mental illness, not all experience disparity in treatment access..

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

In this study, researchers explored the perspectives of people Dually Diagnosed with mental illness and substance abuse of the Dually diagnosed Anonymous (DDA) programs derived from the 12 step program. Researchers conducted focus groups with 106 members from different settings. The focus groups included up to 10 participants and lasted about one hour. The focus group questions included members’ perspectives, personal experiences, impact of the DDA, what lead them to DDA, and if and how it helped them recovery. All the focus groups were audio recorded and transcribed. They found four primary themes from the transcriptions, feeling of acceptance from the member's, acceptance of their mental illness and addiction within their groups, structures

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