It can often happen that anxiety disorders and addiction treatmentwill occur for the same person. What this means is that the person has a dual diagnosis which is where a person has another mental health problem alongside their substance abuse. If this is the case with the individual then it will likely mean that treatment will be required for both of these issues. Failure to treat one without the other will almost always lead to a poor outcome.
Anxiety disorders can be very debilitating so it is no wonder that many people turn to drinks or drugs as a means of escape; this is why anxiety disorders and addiction treatment are now so closely related. In the early days of abusing a substance it can come as a great relief to the addict. This form of self-medication can have amazing results in the beginning, and when the person is abusing it may feel like their anxiety is under control. Over time though, they will need to increase the amount of drugs or alcohol they are taking in order to get the same effect, and this will begin destroying their bodies. The day will eventually come where the drugs will stop working and their anxiety is worse than ever, but they won’t be able to stop the abuse without help; they now need anxiety disorders and addiction treatment.
It may also happen that the reason for the dual diagnosis is that the anxiety disorder has been caused by the abuse. The individual may have just fallen into addiction but has now found that not only are drugs or alcohol damaging their body, but it is also cause mental harm as well. If this is the case then increasing anxiety will exacerbate the addiction and lead to increased suffering. In order for the person to escape this misery they will now need anxiety disorders and addiction treatment.
Any attempt to treat a dual diagnosis should always start with treating the addiction first of all. No real progress can be made while the person is still abusing. After the initial withdrawal treatment is safely managed then it is possible to begin looking at the anxiety disorder. The outcome for people with dual diagnosis is actually very good and many go on to live full and happy lives once both the conditions have been treated.
The main danger with a dual diagnosis is that it won’t be spotted by the medical professionals. This is problematic because failure to spot a condition like anxiety could mean continued misery in recovery despite managing to walk away from addiction. This really is a sad state of affairs because if the person has gone to all the trouble to get sober and clean and life doesn’t improve they are then likely to return to addiction and might never get another chance to recover. This is why it is so vital that people receive both anxiety disorders and addiction treatment; treating one without the other is often not very beneficial in the long run.
