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Written by mswagner65
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02 April 2009
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From Mind disorders.com for refference only
http://www.minddisorders.com/Del-Fi/Dual-diagnosis.html
Definition
Dual diagnosis is a term that refers to patients who have both a mental health disorder and substance use disorder. It may be used interchangeably with "co-occurring disorders" or "comorbidity." According to the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), an estimated 10 million people in the United States will have a combination of at least one mental health and one substance abuse disorder in any twelve-month period. Substance abuse is the most common and significant co-occurring disorder among adults with such severe mental illnesses as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. It may also be observed in individuals with mental health diagnoses that include depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, or eating disorders. The term "substance abuse" refers to substance use disorders that range along a continuum from abuse to dependence or addiction.
The term "dual diagnosis" is considered to be misleading by some professionals because most people with this diagnosis actually have many problems rather than just two discrete illnesses. Occasionally, the term is used to describe a person with developmental disabilities and/or a mental health disorder or substance abuse disorder. More commonly, dual diagnosis refers to those with severe mental illness and a drug or alcohol abuse disorder, and who receive therapy in the public treatment systems.
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Written by JR1
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08 January 2009
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Dual Diagnosed--Temptation/obsession
Article by James Rist
Almost all my close friends are recovering from SOMETHING--alcohol,drugs,mental illness; so it's not unusual that every get together and every conversation contains some reference to our recovery.
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Written by JR1
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01 May 2008
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Statistics are "all over the board", so to speak as to the extent of drug abuse among the spectrum of mental illnesses. Almost all clinicians, counsellors, and health professionals who are aware of the phenomenon seem to agree that the individual with, especially chronic, mental illness has a strong tendency to substance abuse, addiction, self-medication.
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Written by JR1
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27 June 2007
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Some folks argue that those of us who have bipolar disease or addiction are more sensitive than usual to pain--both mental and physical pain. Pain relief for those of us who have for years "self-medicated" is a troublesome issue. In the back of our minds is the instinctive caution: "The substances which made us sick will not make us well again." Yet many of us who were substance "abusers" are faced with the choice to take prescriptions for mind or mood altering substances.
Our new prescriptions may be different from the booze and street drugs we have taken, but the general effect and the dependence we feel when we take them under doctors' orders are not so different, though perhaps no so intense, from the stuff we have abused. We must be at all times wary of relapse.
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Written by JR1
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27 May 2007
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If you're addicted, you know that mood swings
place you in a tug of war between manic and depressed. Even when you haven't
been diagnosed with a mood or behavioral disorder, the mood swings leave you
raw and vulnerable to relapse. Friends and critics will say, "Why don't
you just quit acting like that and get on with your life!? Just make up your
mind and DO it! Why can't you help YOURSELF, for a change!?"
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Written by JR1
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06 May 2007
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Sometimes I wish I had never been born with ego and pride. Those two things have caused me a lot of pain.
We bipolar folk are often volatile and sensitive toward what others think and say about us. I have found for myself that the "volatile and sensitive" aspect of my nature may work against me.
At least twenty times in my life, people had suggested that I am an
alcoholic. At least a hundred times in my life, people had suggested
that I am a jerk. I don't know HOW many doctors suggested that I am
manic depressive (bipolar)..... Of course, I told all of them to go to
hell. After all, what do THEY, these strangers, know about ME!? How
DARE they besmirch me with their lies and accusations!
Hits: 3038
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Important: Articles published in MDJunction are written by MDJunction's community members and not by medical professionals (unless stated directly). They are not medical articles/content and are not a replacement for medical diagnosis. If the article does not contain direct reference to the source of the data, please treat it as personal opinion of the writer.
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