Comorbidity refers to the existence of two or more diseases experienced by the same individual at the same time. These could be a developmental problem along with a mental health issue, or it could be two physical disease processes occurring simultaneously.An area where the existence of two conditions in the same person is receiving a lot of attention is in regards to a dual diagnosis.A dual diagnosis is said to exist when a person has a mental health problem along with a substance abuse problem. This is now believed to occur more frequently than was previously thought with claims that half of those with mental health problems will also have substance abuse problems to deal with.
There are different explanations available that can explain the high rates of comorbiditythat exists for those with substance abuse problem alongside another mental health issue. There are two commonly believed reasons as to why this occurs. In some cases it is believed that a person with a mental health problem tries to self-medicate their condition by turning to drugs or alcohol; this may work for a while, but eventually it will lead to a lot more problems in their life than when they started. Another reason for this comorbidity can be that it was the substance abuse itself that led to the mental health issues arising or being triggered. Alcohol and drugs does not only have a devastating effect on the body, but also on the individual’s mental well-being.
The prognosis for individuals with this type of comorbidity is improving all the time with treatment options now available to deal specifically with a dual diagnosis. This specialised attention is really needed because previously many patients were let down due to a failure to take into account their other mental health problem. In some cases it is possible for an individual with a dual diagnosis to do well in a more traditional treatment facility, but in many cases it just isn’t appropriate. Any treatment that involves a lot of inner-work and includes challenging the individual’s behaviour or confronting their thought and emotions can be very stressful for a person with this type of comorbidityif not handled correctly. This is why it is so often recommended that these individuals attend the type of dual diagnosis facility that can handle both of their issues.
The real problem with a dual diagnosis is that many people slip through the net and don’t have their comorbidity identified and consequently treated. The reason this happens is that both the individual and the medical profession have just failed to pick up on the dual diagnosis. This is easy to understand as many of the symptoms that you see with other mental health problems can also be found with addiction.In the past it was often the case that these other symptoms were just put down to the addiction; and both the medical profession and the individual would have been none the wiser. This often led to poor outcomes for the individual. Luckily today the recovery movement and medical profession is far more aware of the dual diagnosis.
