subject: How To Help Patients With Dual Diagnosis [print this page] What is dual diagnosis and how can it be treated? These are the most typical questions that a patient may ask. People who have dual diagnosis are individuals who are dependent on drugs or narcotics and at the same time have developed a mental or physical disorder. This kind of mental condition ranges from insomnia, schizophrenia and paranoia to violent behaviours and aggression. The physical disorders that individuals can develop from drug abuse are depression, skin disease, gum disease and malnutrition.
An effective dual diagnosis treatment is to treat the two conditions a patient has at the same time. This enables a person to have a very efficient recovery. The treatment method starts off by detoxifying the patient for several days or up until the drugs are completely purged from their system. After that while a patient is undergoing the stages of withdrawal, they are provided prescription medications that counteracts with the withdrawal symptoms they are experiencing. This allows them to go through the minimal effects of the withdrawal period thus making it easier for them to detox.
The benefits of treatment for dual diagnosis are curing the mental or physical disorder of a person as well as their addiction to medications and narcotics at the same time. This is a method which is highly recommended by medical professionals in order for the patient to easily get over their dual diagnosis. After treating the first stages of addiction and mental disorder an individual is struggling with, they still need to continue their therapy and prescription medication even after their treatment plan is done. It is a means for psychologist and therapists to keep track of their patients regarding their improvement with their medication and their therapy sessions after they have been discharged from the rehabilitation center.
Dual diagnosis is a problem normally observed among the homeless and the indigent. They are the ones who should be getting dual diagnosis treatment for their conditions and their addictive habits. Even though they have no money to have the treatment they need, there are free clinics and rehabilitation centers that offer free treatment for specific cases like these. Such free treatment plans are either financed by the government or by private organizations. They fund such campaigns and programs to provide free medical service for the poor or the homeless who are unable to pay for the therapy they require. This could also provide them with free prescription drugs to make sure that their recovery is prosperous.
