Co-occurring Disorders in Addiction

Posted on 09/20/13 12:12:pm

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Addiction and mental illness: a circular relationship where one often feeds the other. There are cravings, obsessions and addictions that initially seem to solve issues with self-esteem, body image, family or work problems. Studies show that nearly one-third of alcohol abusers and one-half of drug abusers also battle a mental illness. This makes it difficult to determine if the addiction half of the relationship occurred before, or as a consequence of, the disease. 

Michael Miller, MD, director of the Herrington Recovery Center and addiction treatment at Rogers, says, “For too long addiction and mental illness have been treated as separate disorders. The success of treating the addiction is often rooted in simultaneously addressing mental health disorders that increase a patient’s tendency to provide inadequate self-care and use drugs and alcohol.”

At Rogers, our doctors and therapists are trained to assess and treat the entire person – mind, body and spirit, not just the addiction. Each patient works with a treatment team to develop a plan that allows them to take care of themselves and learn healthy ways to manage their anxiety and depression. Recovery is difficult, but, with integrated treatment, patients learn strategies to change the feelings and behaviors that led to substance misuse.

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