Some people experience struggles with substance use and mental health at the same time. This is what is called a co-occurring disorder or dual diagnosis. There are a lot of resources that may be used to help someone with a co-occurring disorder. One of these resources is dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).
When treating a co-occurring disorder, both disorders must be addressed simultaneously. This is a delicate process that is often led by a mental health professional who specializes in treating those with dual diagnoses. A process like this can be particularly complex because the mental health professional must ensure that neither condition gets worse as a result of treating the other.
At Profound Treatment in Los Angeles, California, we specialize in treating co-occurring disorders. DBT is one of the many treatment methods that we utilize at our facility.
Understanding Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is a form of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). DBT is a form of therapy that was developed in the 1980s, originally intended to help treat those with borderline personality disorder (BPD). However, throughout the years, DBT and the way that it has been used have changed. It can now be used to treat a wide variety of mental health disorders and co-occurring disorders.
DBT specifically focuses on strategies like mindfulness and acceptance. One of the primary goals of this type of therapy is to help those who struggle with regulating their emotions. For example, this could be someone who has a difficult time bouncing back from setbacks or disappointments. This could also be someone who turns to unhealthy coping mechanisms in response to these disappointments, such as substance misuse.
DBT can help people learn how to deal with complex emotions in a healthier and more effective way. It can also help them learn to practice acceptance, even when things don’t go their way. These strategies can help foster better resiliency and can play a critical role in avoiding negative habits that may be associated with their co-occurring disorders.
The Core Principles of DBT
There are four main components or core principles of DBT. Each one of these principles plays a role in promoting healthier and more effective functioning, both emotionally and behaviorally. These components include mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness.
How DBT Promotes Mindfulness
DBT helps promote mindfulness by teaching people how to become more focused on the present moment instead of being preoccupied with worries about the past or future. Many people who struggle with mental health disorders like anxiety spend a lot of time obsessing over things that are not in their control, particularly things that have already happened. Mindfulness instead encourages you to take a look around at your surroundings and be aware of your thoughts and emotions without judgment.
Certain strategies that may help someone to become more mindful could include yoga, breathing exercises, or meditation. However, you can practice mindfulness wherever you are and whenever you want. The goal is to focus on how you’re feeling at this exact moment. This can help to provide better emotional balance and encourage you to think before acting.
Mindfulness can help prevent impulsive behaviors, including those that may be affecting those with a co-occurring disorder. For example, consider someone with an anxiety disorder who is also struggling with alcohol use disorder (AUD). Perhaps they often find themselves turning to alcohol as a coping mechanism when they are feeling anxious about the future. However, by learning to be present in the moment and pause before taking action, they can learn how to avoid destructive behaviors like this.
How DBT Promotes Distress Tolerance
Distress tolerance is a way of being able to manage difficult emotions effectively, especially without turning to unhealthy coping mechanisms. This and other negative emotions are a part of life that are difficult to avoid. Everyone will experience these things from time to time. However, it is possible to learn how to deal with these emotions without engaging in harmful behaviors.
Distress tolerance is a particularly important skill for those who struggle with co-occurring disorders. This is because these individuals may be particularly prone to turning to impulsive, unhelpful, or ineffective behaviors to deal with negative emotions. For some people, this could be turning to drug or alcohol misuse. In the case of others, it may be engaging in self-harm or taking part in dangerous activities.
DBT teaches alternative ways to handle these emotions, such as temporary distractions, like taking part in your favorite hobbies or activities, while giving yourself a chance to calm down. This may also include different self-soothing techniques to move past the negative emotions.
How DBT Promotes Emotional Regulation
Many people who struggle with co-occurring disorders struggle to regulate their emotions in an effective way. They may struggle with issues like mood instability, unhealthy coping mechanisms, or intense emotional reactions. However, it is possible to learn how to manage your emotions more effectively through emotional regulation.
DBT helps people to understand their emotions better. Once they are more aware of what they are feeling and why, they can learn how to keep their emotions from having power over them. This can help them to feel as if they have greater control over themselves and their lives. It can also learn how to prepare for and anticipate difficult emotions in advance.
DBT also encourages people to take the necessary steps to take care of their mental and physical health so they can regulate their emotions as effectively as possible. This includes doing things like getting enough sleep, avoiding substances, exercising, and practicing self-care.
How DBT Differs From Traditional Therapy
There is not just one method to treat those who struggle with co-occurring disorders. Some people may benefit from traditional talk therapy. However, there are several components of DBT that may make it more effective at treating co-occurring disorders than traditional therapy. This includes its specific focus on emotional regulation and the development of skills that encourage mindfulness and healthier behavior patterns.
Traditional therapy is often focused on more simplistic problem-solving. It also deals a lot with acceptance. However, DBT takes things a step further. In addition to acceptance, it also teaches people that you can take active steps to improve your life circumstances. It also focuses on learning how to identify what you can and can’t control.
The skills that are taught through DBT can help to empower someone who is in recovery from a co-occurring disorder. They can use these skills to make better decisions in recovery while also developing healthier coping mechanisms for stress and negative emotions.
Understanding What Co-Occurring Disorders Are
So why exactly do co-occurring disorders exist, and why is treating them such a complex process? We know that the core of many substance use disorders (SUDs) is unresolved trauma or unaddressed mental health issues. Many people who struggle with mental health disorders like anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are desperate to find some way to cope. Because of this, they may turn to drug or alcohol use to try to find relief.
Not only will substance misuse not help to solve the root cause of the issue, but it can actually make mental health worse. Nevertheless, many people will quickly become dependent upon a particular substance, likely needing more and more of it to experience the same effects. This often leads to addiction and the risk of overdose, as well as other serious health complications.
Co-occurring disorders can take place in many different forms. For example, someone may struggle with PTSD and an addiction to opioids simultaneously. Someone else may struggle with schizophrenia and an addiction to stimulants. Another common example is someone who is struggling with depression and also struggling with AUD.
The reason that treating co-occurring disorders can be so difficult is that the two disorders may interact with each other in many different ways. These interactions can be complicated and unpredictable at times. For example, some people may temporarily experience even more severe mental health issues when they first stop using a substance they are addicted to. This is something that mental health professionals must be prepared for and know how to address.
One of the biggest concerns when treating co-occurring disorders is not doing anything that would cause the individual further harm. Both disorders must be addressed effectively in order to prevent relapse and promote lasting healing. The best way to do this is through an integrated treatment approach in which both substance misuse and mental health issues can be addressed simultaneously. DBT offers a unique way to accomplish this.
The Role of Mindfulness in DBT and How It Can Benefit Those With Co-Occurring Disorders
Mindfulness is a key component of DBT, and it can play an important role in treating those with co-occurring disorders. Those who struggle with co-occurring disorders may have a hard time just sitting with their thoughts and emotions. They may be used to turning to substance misuse to numb the pain or distract them from the negative emotions they are experiencing. However, through mindfulness, DBT can help teach someone how to consider their thoughts without judgment.
It is normal for many people to naturally label their thoughts as “good” or “bad,” even without being fully aware that they’re doing this. The problem with this is that people can become too preoccupied with their negative thoughts and their desire to try to get rid of them. This desire to dispel negative thoughts can lead them to turn to destructive habits to cope, including misusing drugs or alcohol. However, what if you were able to view your negative thoughts as nothing more than just thoughts?
This way of thinking could completely change how you view the world around you. In turn, you can learn that your thoughts, whether they be good or bad, don’t have power over you. While you might not always be able to control negative thoughts from arising, you can definitely control how you respond to these thoughts. If you learn to stop letting your thoughts control your actions, you can avoid destructive or unhealthy behaviors.
This way of thinking is known as non-judgemental observation. It can help to reduce self-criticism for someone who is struggling with substance misuse or mental health problems. This type of thinking can also help to build up a person’s confidence by helping them to realize that their thoughts don’t control them, and they get to choose how they respond to their emotions.
Understanding How DBT Can Help Address the Complex Nature of Co-Occurring Disorders
The nature of co-occurring disorders is particularly complex because each disorder can feed into the other, creating a vicious cycle. For example, a person’s mental health may cause them to turn to substance misuse. Then, their substance misuse may worsen their mental health. Because there can be negative stigma and shame associated with both addiction and mental health disorders, this can further complicate the issue. It can also make it less likely for someone to feel comfortable reaching out for help.
However, because DBT provides a unique way to treat both disorders at once, the individual has the ability to experience complete healing. They can learn to understand not only why they are experiencing these things but also how their two disorders are interconnected. From there, they can learn what steps to take to improve their mental health while also breaking free from their addiction. The skills that they will develop during DBT will help not only in the early stages of their recovery but throughout the rest of their life.
DBT can be incorporated into a variety of different formats depending upon a person’s specific needs. For example, it can be done in the form of individual therapy. This involves the therapist and the individual working together to identify negative behaviors and thought patterns and coming up with ways to change them. It also involves coming up with a set of realistic goals that the person can work towards by applying the life skills they have developed through DBT.
DBT can also be utilized in a group environment. With this method, people have the opportunity to learn from their peers about life skills that can help them in their recovery. This kind of support is very important as an individual manage their sobriety and work towards their best possible mental health in the years to come.
How to Incorporate DBT Into Your Recovery Plan
As is often said, recovery is a journey and not a destination. In other words, a person doesn’t wake up one day and decide that they’re officially “healed” and don’t need to work towards their recovery anymore. Rather, they will have to continue to take steps to manage their recovery on a daily basis. For many, this includes going to therapy on a daily basis and attending 12-Step support group meetings. It may also involve keeping up with things like self-care to ensure their health is as strong as it can be.
One of the many great things about DBT as a treatment option is that it isn’t something that can only be utilized during the early days of recovery. Rather, it is something that can be incorporated into an individual’s continued recovery plan and used for years to come.
No matter where someone may be in their recovery journey, there is always room to continue to learn and work towards self-improvement. The skills that are taught through DBT can be used throughout any stage of life. These skills can help someone become more adaptable to changes in life while also building better emotional resiliency. Because of this, this is a kind of therapy that could greatly benefit just about anyone.
Finding the Right Therapist for Your Needs
Perhaps you’re currently struggling with a co-occurring disorder and are considering what your treatment options are. DBT is an incredibly effective treatment approach that can treat both disorders simultaneously. At Profound Treatment in Los Angeles, California, our staff is trained in this type of treatment. You can begin your journey towards healing by reaching out to our team today.
Mental health and addiction are often very closely intertwined. This is why treating someone for their addiction but not their underlying mental health issues would be considered a fruitless effort. Without getting to the root cause of the issue, relapse would be highly likely, if not expected. However, through treatment options like DBT, both addiction and mental health can be treated simultaneously. This can give the individual the greatest chance of experiencing lasting healing in recovery. If you or someone you know is currently struggling with addiction or substance use disorder of any kind, our team at Profound Treatment can help. To take the first step towards living a happier and healthier life, call (310) 340-2609 today.
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