Category Archives: Dual-Diagnosis

Are You Struggling With PTSD And Addiction?

Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), is a type of anxiety disorder that can come about after a traumatic event. If you have experienced a traumatic event in your life, your body may heal much more quickly than your mind and emotions. This process can take much longer, and for some people, through no fault of their own, find that certain sights, sounds, smells or words trigger fear memories that bring them back to the original event.

Struggling With PTSD And Addiction-NewBeginningsRecoveryCTR.comPeople with PTSD may start to avoid environments where they may encounter the “triggers” where they have experienced flashbacks, nightmares, or persistent anger guilt or shame.

Someone with this mental health condition may find it difficult to experience positive emotions or feel that they are a bad person or cannot be trusted in the aftermath of being a victim of, for example, a violent assault, sexual assault or child molestation. Accident, natural disaster or combat survivors may experience guilt that they were spared when others were not.

PTSD Facts And Statistics

  • Approximately seven or eight out of every 100 people in the United States will develop PTSD at some point during their lifetime, according to the National Center for PTSD.
  • Eight million adults have PTSD, during any given year. This number represents a small number of those who have experienced a trauma.
  • Women are more likely to develop PTSD than men. About 10 percent of women will develop it during their lifetime, compared to four percent of men.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder And Addiction

Many people with this anxiety disorder start using drugs and/or alcohol as a way to try to self-medicate. If you have been living with the symptoms of PTSD, you know how difficult they can be. Since the symptoms may not start immediately following the traumatic event, it’s possible that you did not immediately connect them to the trauma.

It’s natural to want to either minimize the disturbing symptoms or to shut them off altogether, but trying to treat yourself or self-medicate is not the best way to deal with the situation.

Don’t be ashamed that you need professional help. It takes the bigger person to realize and admit they need help.

Outpatient Mental Health And Addiction Treatment

New Beginnings Recovery Center offers outpatient mental health and addiction treatment to clients living with PTSD and substance abuse issues. This program is a good fit for individuals who want to seek help but who have work, school or family obligations which cannot be interrupted.

We believe that treating the entire person (mind, body and soul), including any mental health issues and the addiction offers the best chance for full and effective recovery. We will create a personalized treatment plan based off of your specific needs and goals

Our caring and professional staff is just a phone call away.

Why Wait? It Can’t Get Better Until You Get Help – Call Now!

Struggling With Addiction And Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)?

Addiction & OCD-Outpatient Dual Diagnosis Treatment-NewBeginnings

Many people deal with a mental health condition such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), depression or anxiety. Unfortunately, many of these people either do not fully understand their condition or aren’t even aware what’s wrong with them. Many also turn to drugs or alcohol as a way to self-medicate their difficult mental health symptoms.

When someone is diagnosed with a mental health disorder and is struggling with addiction, they are considered to have a dual diagnosis.

How OCD Affects A Person’s Life

In the case of OCD, it affects a person’s brain as well as their behavior. OCD can cause severe anxiety, which leads to obsessions and compulsions that, in more severe cases, takes time away from the activities of everyday life.

Obsessions can be images, thoughts or impulses that occur repeatedly. They feel as though they are outside of a person’s control. Someone with OCD does not want these obsessions and they are not welcome. A person may feel afraid, disgusted or have a feeling as though they must do something in a specific manner as a result of their obsession.

Compulsions are repetitive behaviors that a person with OCD uses to try to counteract their obsessive thoughts, images or impulses. The person feels driven to perform these rituals.

How A Dual Diagnosis Can Occur With OCD

When OCD symptoms first start to appear, it’s possible that an affected person may not understand what these signs and feelings are. Someone who is experiencing this level of anxiety may turn to drugs or alcohol as a way to self-medicate. The chemicals are many times used to try to dull or turn off the obsessions so that they don’t have as powerful an effect on the person’s life.

Outpatient Dual Diagnosis Treatment

If you need help for obsessive-compulsive disorder and addiction but cannot take time away from work, school or family responsibilities, New Beginnings offers outpatient dual diagnosis treatment services where we effectively treat both your mental illness and the addiction concurrently. You can get effective treatment from our psychiatrists and mental health staff at a time that works with your schedule.

We can also offer other mental health services on an outpatient basis:

  • Individual therapy
  • Mental health counseling
  • Psychiatric services

Would You Like To Get Started With Our Outpatient Dual Diagnosis Treatment Program? Call Now!

How Do Drugs And Alcohol Make Anxiety Worse?

For a person living with an anxiety disorder, just getting through each day can be very challenging. Those with this mental health disorder can easily get wrapped up in their thoughts and worries of their personal safety, health, job, bills, etc. Since no one enjoys feeling anxious, it’s normal to want that feeling to go away and some people turn to drugs or alcohol in an effort to self-medicate. At New Beginnings Recovery Center, we treat addiction and anxiety together through our Florida mental health and substance abuse services.

How Using Drugs And Alcohol Can Make Anxiety Worse

Gazing-How Do Drugs & Alcohol Make Anxiety Worse-New BeginningsUsing drugs and alcohol can change the level of neurotransmitters in the brain like serotonin. These chemical changes can make anxiety worse after the initial “feel-good” effects of the alcohol have worn off.

A number of people turn to alcohol to relieve stress or “to unwind” at the end of a long day. If they are living with anxiety, they may be even more drawn to drinking or using.

Turning to alcohol as a way to deal with anxiety can be very dangerous. Someone who is taking medication for anxiety may find that using alcohol adversely reacts with the medication, causing dangerous side-effects including:

  • extreme drowsiness
  • decreased heart rate
  • decreased and difficulty breathing
  • medication and alcohol overdose

A person with social anxiety already finds dealing with situations where other people will be present extremely challenging. If that person gets in the habit of having a drink or two or using drugs before attending an event “to relax” instead of getting psychological treatment to learn tools to deal with the anxiety, it’s likely they will start drinking more and more before going out. The more a person drinks, the more likely they will say or do something inappropriate in public. Having to apologize after the fact to friends, family members, or work colleagues for what happened the night before (or worse, trying to remember whether an apology is needed) is a certain way to increase anxiety.

Help For Anxiety And Addiction

We here at New Beginnings Recovery Center have psychiatrists and mental health staff available to provide mental health counseling and other traditional and alternative addiction treatment methods to clients who are living with mental health disorders like generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) or social anxiety disorder as well as addiction.

We believe that in order to treat both concerns effectively, mental health disorders and addiction must be treated at the same time. Our dual diagnosis treatment offers individualized treatment programs based on each client’s individual needs. We are here to help, call now!

Don’t Give Up Hope – A New Beginning Is Just A Phone Call Away!

How Does A Dual Diagnosis Treatment Program Work?

Mental illness in the U.S. is not as uncommon as you may think. According to data compiled by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 42.5 million American adults (18.2 percent of the population) suffer from some form of mental health issue, which includes depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. SAMHSA compiled data which found that 6.8 million adults had a substance abuse disorder and a mental illness in 2011. Dual diagnosis treatment for a person in this situation must be performed by experts who have experience in this field, like us here at New Beginnings Recovery.

What Is A Dual Diagnosis?

Healing Through Dual Diagnosis Treatment - NewBeginningsRecoveryCenterA client is considered to have a dual diagnosis if he or she has a diagnosable mental illness as well as an addiction. Drug and alcohol issues occur together frequently, and tend to occur in clients who also have:

How Does A Dual Diagnosis Begin?

In some instances, the symptoms of the mental illness occur first. A person may start using drugs or alcohol because these substances help them feel better, temporarily. For other people, the substance abuse comes first. Over time, it can lead to emotional and mental problems.

How Is A Dual Diagnosis Treatment Program Structured?

Treating the addiction only, without addressing the mental health issue doesn’t get to the root of deeper issues and increases the chances of relapse.

Our dual diagnosis treatment is structured so that both conditions are dealt with concurrently, so that our clients can completely heal.

The first step is for a client to stop using drugs and/or alcohol (we help our clients safely and comfortably detox). While the addiction is active/ongoing, it’s difficult to make a clear diagnosis of the mental illness and to offer appropriate treatment for a client. Once a client is sober, the mental health issues can be addressed appropriately.

Outpatient Addiction And Mental Health Services

At New Beginnings Recovery Center, we offer outpatient addiction and mental health services. This treatment model was developed for clients who are interested in receiving dual diagnosis treatment but have work, school and/or family obligations. Our professional and caring mental health staff provides counseling and treatment on an individual basis

Call Us Now To Start A Life Free From Pain, Worry And Addiction!

Co-Occurring Disorders: Which Came First For You, Mental Illness Or Addiction?

People who have substance abuse issues are at higher risk of developing a mental health issue, and a significant number of people living with mental health concerns also struggle with addictions. When a person has a mental illness and an addiction, it is referred to as the client having a co-occurring disorder or dual-diagnosis.

When Mental Illness Symptoms Appear First

Which Came First For You, Mental Illness Or Addiction - NewBeginningsIn some situations, a person will develop symptoms of a mental illness and start using drugs and/or alcohol as a way to try to manage their symptoms. This type of self-medication may help to make them feel better temporarily, but it does nothing to treat the underlying illness.

A person who feels anxious may be drawn toward a downer like opiates or alcohol, since they have a sedating effect. Someone who is depressed may start using cocaine or amphetamines to boost his or her mood.

The substances may help the person to feel “better” for a time, but then end up making them feel worse and more anxious or depressed. Once he or she develops a tolerance for the substance, the problem becomes having to take more and more of the substance to get the desired effect. Drugs and alcohol can also interfere with the way the brain chemistry works and only ends up compounding a mental health concern.

When The Addiction Develops First

It is possible for some people to develop symptoms of a mental illness only after they start using drugs or alcohol. For example, chemical changes can occur in the brain in people who use. These changes could lead to episodes of a mental health issue that can last long after one stops using. Drugs and alcohol can also bring an underlying mental illness to the surface in some people.

The Right Help For Co-Occurring Disorders

No matter which came first for you, the mental illness or the addiction, a person living with co-occurring disorders needs expert treatment if he or she is going to move forward into a life of sobriety.

Here at New Beginnings Recovery Center, we offer top-notch mental health services including:

  • Co-Occurring Disorders Services
  • Psychiatric Services
  • Mental Health Counseling Services

Our caring, professional psychiatric and mental health team will perform a detailed evaluation to get an accurate diagnosis. We offer individualized treatment plans for each of our clients that includes group and individual one-on-one treatment sessions.

Don’t Try To “Fix Yourself” – We’re The Experts – Call Us Now To Get The Help You Need!