Dual Diagnosis in Los Angeles: Supporting Your Path to Recovery

Millions of people struggle with substance use disorder (SUD) every year. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 48.5 million people aged 12 or older had SUD in 2023. Unfortunately, it is not surprising to learn that many people with SUD also struggle with mental health disorders. Dual diagnosis treatment becomes critical in cases where you or your loved one struggles with substance abuse and mental health conditions.

Yet, what exactly is dual diagnosis treatment? How do dual diagnosis treatment programs help address substance abuse and co-occurring mental health disorders?

Understanding Dual Diagnosis Treatment

People with substance use disorder are at an increased risk of developing one or more conditions, including mental health conditions. Vice versa, it is not uncommon for people with mental health issues to self-medicate with drugs and alcohol to cope with distressing emotions. However, self-medicating is an example of unhealthy coping mechanisms, which often leads to dependence for drug addiction and/or alcohol addiction. Therefore, when mental illness and substance use disorder coexist, it is known as a co-occurring disorder.

What Is Dual Diagnosis Treatment?

As mentioned, dual diagnosis treatment programs become critical when co-occurring disorders are involved. Dual diagnosis treatment in a recovery center is an integrated approach to addiction treatment that addresses both the SUD and mental health issues involved. As SAMHSA notes, approximately 21.5 million adults in the U.S. have co-occurring disorders. Some of the most common forms of substance abuse and mental illness for co-occurring conditions include:

• Alcohol addiction
• Drug addiction, including prescription drug addiction
  • Opioids
  • Marijuana
  • Stimulants
    • Methamphetamine
    • Cocaine
  • Hallucinogens
  • Sedatives
    • Benzodiazepines
  • Tobacco and nicotine
• Anxiety disorders
  • Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
  • Social anxiety disorder
  • Panic disorder
• Major depressive disorder (MDD)
• Bipolar disorder
• Schizophrenia
• Psychosis
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Eating disorders (EDs)
  • Anorexia nervosa
  • Bulimia nervosa
• Borderline personality disorder (BPD)
• Antisocial personality disorders (ASPD)

The prevalence of co-occurring substance abuse and mental illness highlights the importance of dual diagnosis treatment as a tool for lasting recovery. Unfortunately, you or a loved one may avoid seeking treatment for all the conditions you are struggling with. Unhealthy coping mechanisms like avoidance and having co-occurring disorders contribute to even greater challenges as other barriers to treatment.

Barriers to Treatment for Dual Diagnosis Clients

Dual diagnosis treatment clients face many barriers to addiction treatment and mental health treatment, which prevent them from seeking treatment for lasting recovery. Some of the barriers to dual diagnosis treatment programs you may experience include:

• Diagnosing complex and overlapping SUD and mental health symptoms
• Stigma and barriers surrounding addiction and mental health
  • Social stigma: A negative attitude or prejudice directed at a person or group who is perceived as different or possessing characteristics that are seen as undesirable or inferior
    • Contributes to discrimination, social exclusion, and internalized stigma
  • Internalized stigma: You accept and believe in the negative stereotypes and prejudices about the characteristics you possess, such as mental illness and or SUD
    • Contributes to guilt, shame, low self-esteem, feeling hopeless and worthless, social withdrawal, and poor help-seeking behaviors
• Treatment challenges due to experiencing overlapping symptoms
• Lack of integrated treatment between mental health, addiction treatment, and primary health care systems
  • Poor communication between mental health and drug rehab centers for coordinated care
  • Treatment approach conflicts impede integrated treatment
•  Health care systems fail to sustain an integrated approach to care
• Lack of professionals equipped to manage SUD and other mental health conditions
  • Many clinicians and health care providers lack the education and training to recognize and treat co-occurring disorders
• Structural discrimination
  • Systemic and interconnected policies, practices, and cultural biases that govern societal and institutional systems
    • Disparity in opportunities and access to care for individuals with co-occurring disorders
      • Policy inequities lead to underfunded mental health and substance use disorder systems
      • A shortage of providers in areas for vulnerable populations
      • Health care systems that do not provide integrated treatment
      • Inadequate insurance coverage
• Resource barriers
  • Poor access to specialized and comprehensive treatment programs
  • Lack of insurance coverage or other health care programs that cover co-occurring disorders
  • Geographic disparities
    • Lack of specialized services in certain areas, such as rural areas
    • Unreliable transportation to commute to a specialized recovery center
  • Unstable housing
  • Low income
  • Unemployment
  • Lack of education
• Vulnerable communities
  • Racial and ethnic minorities, individuals from low-income backgrounds, adolescents, women, individuals with physical and developmental disabilities, the LGBTQIA+ community, and other marginalized groups are at a greater risk of disparities in access to care

The barriers to a dual diagnosis treatment center increase harm to the physical and psychological well-being of individuals and communities. Thus, having access to a dual diagnosis treatment center is invaluable to providing whole-person care for lasting recovery to an underserved community.