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A dual diagnosis is the medical term used for experiencing a substance abuse problem and a mental condition simultaneously. Called dual diagnosis disorder, this is a very broad category. Many people have substance abuse along with depression and anxiety disorders and benefit from treatment at … Read more
Linda suffers from depression for the past few years. She believes alcohol is the answer to her condition and drinks excessively without realizing that her drinking is maintaining her depression. This is a classic case of dual diagnosis. Also known as co-occurring disorders (COD), dual diagnosis … Read more
Dual diagnosis is defined by the coinciding, organized treatment of those with both substance abuse issues and mental illness. Statistics from the Journal of the American Medical Association show approximately 50% of individuals with serious mental disorders are also affected by substance abuse. Twenty-nine percent of people diagnosed with mental illness also abuse either alcohol or drugs.
Dual Diagnosis, also called as ‘Co-occurring disorder’ is referred to a condition in which the subject suffers from a combination of mental disorder and co-morbid substance abuse. Examples of dual-diagnosis conditions may include a psychiatric illness such as depression and alcohol dependence or a more severe mental psychosis along with cannabis-abuse. A significant medical challenge is to precisely diagnose the pre-existing mental illness in drug-abusers and differentiate it from drug-induced psychiatric symptoms.
