An obsessive-compulsive disorder can really disrupt a person’s life, but the impact will be far greater if this person also has a substance abuse problem. The impact of having both these conditions together can be devastating if they are both not treated. It is now believed that at least half of those with a mental health problem like OCD will go on to develop an addiction. When it happens it is referred to as a dual diagnosis and more and more people are being found with this type of co-morbidity.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder is associated with intrusive thoughts and ritualistic behaviour performed in an attempt to escape these thoughts.Another way that people try and escape unwelcome thoughts is through alcohol and drugs so it is no surprise that many people end up developing an addiction. The person with OCD may find some relief from their problems in the beginning, but this relief comes at the price of addiction and all the suffering that this involves. After a few years whatever relief that may have been initially been found through substance abuse will be replaced by the mental torture of addiction along with their obsessive-compulsive disorder.
In order to successfully treat someone with an obsessive-compulsive disorder along with an addiction problem it is important to tackle the two more or less together. The initial priority will be getting the person safely through withdrawals, but once this is accomplished then both problems should be dealt with together. In the past it would often occur that both problems would be treated by separate services, but this is not so effective. The person with the dual diagnosis often feels like a ping pong ball as they are passed between the different services who often will give conflicting advice. For this reason the preferred approach is to treat both of these issues together under the same roof if possible; this way the individual won’t feel overwhelmed and conflicted.
The biggest hurdle with treating someone with a dual diagnosis is getting them to accept their condition. All addicts need to deal with the denial surrounding their addiction in order to escape. This usually happens when life get so bad that denial is no longer possible. The problem for somebody with a dual diagnosis is that there thinking is also likely to be affected by their other mental health issue, and this often means the eureka moment just doesn’t occur for them. It may take a lot more effort and support for the person with OCD to be willing to face up to their problems.
Once a person with dual diagnosis involving obsessive-compulsive disorder is in recovery then there can be a complete transformation. For many people it was their failure to deal with OCD that led them to addiction so once these symptoms are managed there will be no need for this type of escape. Life can become very good for the person with this type of dual diagnosis in recovery so long as both conditions are managed.
