Progress Not Perfection

The most important thing I have had to accept since being in Dual diagnosis treatment is that I have to have a lot more patience with myself than I am used to. I have had to learn to forgive myself for not being perfect. I think going into treatment, both the teen and the families can fall into thinking that the teen will emerge “cured”. In my first few months home in Orange County, California, any time I felt weird or had an emotional day, all of us would get worried that everything was unraveling. What I have learned, is that that just isn’t true. I can have bad days, and I can have good days. A bad day doesn't mean I'm not recovering.
I can feel discouraged from time to time but the most important thing is that I pick myself up and keep moving forward. This is recovery to me- to be able to keep making the effort regardless of how I feel. I have had to redefine my definition of success. In treatment, I learned how to believe in myself, even when the going gets rough, and to use the tools given to me. The tools aren’t there for perfect days- they’re there for challenges and for growth, and growth is sometimes awkward and uncomfortable. I made a commitment to myself to change my life, and thanks to that, regardless of how difficult the changes may be, I have maintained the willingness to keep growing. It's not something I can really explain to my family, and in the beginning, that was really frustrating. I realized that I just had to show people my commitment to change, by continuing with the process long after treatment ended. That's the neatest gift I've received: the ability to keep using these tools for years after I was introduced to them.if you have a loved one that needs to be introduced to these tools please contact us at adolescent dual diagnosis treatment.

Dual Diagnosis Treatment For Adolescents

Adolescents are often referred to treatment for substance abuse but are not referred to a program for appropriate diagnosis and treatment of any underlying cause for their drug and alcohol use. The issue is that many teens have symptoms of a mood disorder that may in fact lead to self-medicating with drugs and alcohol.

Families know how difficult it is to find treatment for an adolescent who abuses drugs or alcohol but also is diagnosed with a co-occurring disorder; i.e., ADHD, depression, or bipolar disorder. Traditionally, programs that treat a mental health diagnosis do not treat teens with substance abuse issues, and programs for substance abusers are not programmed for people with mental illness. Adolescents are often caught in this treatment or services gap.

It is important to find a program that is designed and staffed in a way to treat adolescent with a dual diagnosis. you should ask the fallowing questions when looking for a dual diagnosis treatment center:

-Do you have a Medical Director and what is their role?
-How much time does your Medical Director/Psychiatrist spend working with your child?
-Are your therapists licensed professionals (many programs save money by using inexperienced trainees)?
-Are your clinicians at the facility full time?
-What is the facilities daily staff to client ratio?
-How many staff are actually on site at any given time?
-Does the program provide neuropsych testing?
-Does the program provide weekly clinical supervision meetings for the case management of your child?
-Do your therapists, counselors and Medical Director work together as a team?

Not everyone is a candidate for residential dual diagnosis treatment programs. It all depends upon the severity of the problems. For people whose drug or alcohol addiction is not severe enough to warrant residential treatment, an outpatient treatment program in might be the solution.

If you or a loved one needs dual diagnosis treatment please click here- underlying cause.