Dual Dilemma: The Problem of Co-Occurring Disorders

Monday, September 16, 2013 SPORK! 0 Comments

Imagine you’re one of those people who suffer from both alcoholism and diabetes.

You manage to quit drinking. But your blood sugar still periodically runs out of control. You suffer the very unpleasant (and sometimes dangerous) effects of that.

Conclusion: Quitting drinking helped a lot. But until you get your blood sugar managed, you’re going to feel like crap. Or worse.

Same thing applies if the second disorder is depression instead of diabetes. Some people quit drinking and find that in some respects, they’re actually more depressed. That’s a sign there may be a depressive disorder involved. One that requires treatment, too.

It took a while to figure out the best way to address this dilemma. Physicians tried treating the alcoholism first and then sending the patient on to psychiatry. But many were so depressed they couldn’t manage to stay sober in the first place.

Read more at Treatment and Recovery Systems 

(http://treatmentandrecoverysystems.com/library/dual-dilemma-the-problem-of-co-occurring-disorders/)