Co-occurring disorders are common when dealing with substance abuse. This term is another term used to describe a dual diagnosis. Understanding what they are and how they affect recovery can be extremely beneficial. Recognizing a potential co-occurring disorder and ensuring you are taking the necessary precautions to care for these disorders can help you reach a state of balance that leads you to long-term sobriety success.
Co-occurring Disorders
A co-occurring disorder is the combination of a mental health disorder along with substance use disorder (SUD). It is common to use medication-assisted treatment (MAT) with co-occurring disorders to help balance the side effects of each. These disorders can include anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), eating disorders, and many other mental health conditions or learning disabilities. Any of these disorders, when paired with SUD, is considered a co-occurring disorder.
Being aware of each disorder is incredibly important when working through addiction recovery. It is common for the symptoms of each disorder to trigger symptoms of the other, meaning that the two (or more) disorders combined make recovery more challenging. Developing skills to properly handle each of these conditions can help ease the stress of each disorder, allowing you to work through recovery with less stress.
One of the most common forms of co-occurring disorders is the combination of SUD and mood disorder. These can be extremely difficult to overcome, as the mood disorder will often worsen the symptoms of addiction. Working to regulate your emotions and manage the state of your mood disorder can drastically increase your success in maintaining sobriety, as you will not feel the desire to use substances as a coping mechanism for those emotions.
Managing a Co-occurring Disorder
If you discover you are dealing with a co-occurring disorder, it can be hard to know where to begin. As you have two major obstacles to overcome to reach a healthy mental state, deciding where to focus first as you begin recovery can be challenging. Although this initial realization may seem stressful, overcoming these disorders together can lead you to substantial success upon completion.
Repetition
The power of repetition is vital when working to overcome co-occurring disorders. As you practice various skills, some will be specific to only one diagnosis. Identifying which skills to use in various situations, practicing those skills, and repeating this process helps the technique to become a habitual response. Many of the skills we learn in treatment will become a natural response to external situations from the power of repetition.
Self-Care
Regardless of the treatment you are going through or the disorder you may be dealing with, self-care is extremely important. As various external stressors may arise and set off the symptoms of your disorder, having a healthy way to cope with the situations and reset is essential to avoid falling back into the cycle of addiction.
As you include self-care in your recovery, the pleasure you experience from these actions will be reinforced, similar to how the substance reinforced your brain’s reward system when you were experiencing active addiction. As we work to rewire our brains, self-care can become a practice that allows you a safe and relaxing space to reset and start again with a fresh perspective.
Process
Allowing yourself to open up to your support system when working to overcome a co-occurring disorder can be extremely beneficial. Each mental health disorder and addiction comes with challenges; however, you may feel you are experiencing high levels of stress when working to manage two disorders. Processing your thoughts and emotions during difficult times and remembering that you have a supportive team constantly rooting for your success can help you overcome each obstacle.
In addition to reaching out to friends, family, and your treatment team, group therapy can also be extremely helpful. In group therapy, you will be with other individuals who are working through similar co-occurring disorders. Discussing your challenges with individuals who are in similar situations can help you gain further insight into your condition and recognize the support of others who have experienced similar hardships.
Put Your Skills to Use
Upon completion of treatment, you will have the necessary skills to manage both your addiction and mental health disorder. Because you have gained skills in each of these areas, you will find many skills that overlap. Developing the ability to differentiate the symptoms and understand which disorder you are dealing with at each moment can help you apply the appropriate skill and properly manage your emotions. Not only can this knowledge help you to overcome your addiction, but also can improve your overall quality of life.
A co-occurring disorder is another term for a dual diagnosis. When working to overcome more than one disorder, there are often more skills and techniques you need to acquire. While many of these skills can be used to benefit both disorders, some skills may be specific to one disorder. Understanding how co-occurring disorders work and how to manage them can lead you to success in recovery. Although these obstacles may be difficult to overcome and manage together, you will find yourself in a much better mental state after engaging in treatments for each disorder. Opening up about your challenges and discussing strategies with your treatment team and other individuals who are facing similar obstacles can help you move past each challenge and continue your success. To learn more about co-occurring disorders, what they are, and how to manage them, contact Dream Recovery at (949) 732-1960.