Intensive outpatient programs make substance addiction recovery more accessible. Rather than staying inpatient and leaving behind employment and other responsibilities, patients can schedule their outpatient participation around their other commitments.
However, those with co-occurring disorders may wonder whether an intensive outpatient program is suitable for them. When selecting an outpatient program for addiction recovery, choosing a team that has experience with co-occurring disorders is essential.
Not every program will be equipped with the knowledge and resources to help these patients in the way they deserve. However, many programs do have the tools to work with co-occurring disorders in intensive outpatient programs.
This includes a variety of approaches, such as cognitive behavioral therapy and medication management, that work together to form a holistic recovery journey.
What Is a Co-Occurring Disorder?
In some patients, substance abuse and addiction are coupled with a mental health disorder at the same time. This is called a co-occurring disorder or dual diagnosis. Grappling with mental health struggles concurrently with addiction can be challenging because each disorder can feed into the other and make breaking out of the cycle difficult.
Co-occurring disorders occur for many reasons. In some instances, a person has a genetic predisposition to mental health diagnoses such as anxiety or depression. In other cases, the mental health disorder contributes to the development of the addiction, e.g., a person who eases their untreated anxiety using alcohol to calm down.
Recovery from addiction when a co-occurring disorder is present is possible. However, patients are more likely to succeed when they have help from a team that is knowledgeable about dual diagnoses and can access resources relevant to this specific need.
How Intensive Outpatient Programs Work With Co-Occurring Disorders
Some intensive outpatient programs are equipped with the experience and tools to treat patients with co-occurring disorders. Some of the ways they may do this include:
Mental Health Programs
Before a patient can fully address their substance addiction, it is helpful to also begin treating their mental health disorder. Some of the most common co-occurring disorders are:
Depression- Anxiety
- PTSD
- Bipolar Disorder
- Schizophrenia
- ADHD
- OCD
Each of these challenges comes with its own set of potential treatments. Mental health programs seek to address these behaviors and mindsets so patients can begin on the road to improvement in their symptoms. As a result, they may find that their desire to use or compulsion to continue addictive behaviors decreases.
Medication Management
Many co-occurring disorders benefit from medication. If patients are not yet medicated for their mental health conditions, an intensive outpatient program may be able to prescribe a medication to help.
If the IOP does not have prescription authority, it should be connected to resources such as dual diagnosis-specialized doctors who can write prescriptions and manage medication doses until the disorder is well controlled.
Behavioral Therapy
One of the cornerstones of intensive outpatient care is behavioral therapy. Among the many potential options, cognitive behavioral therapy is one of the most common because of its high success rate.
CBT helps patients identify the thought patterns that lead to their actions. For instance, if a person believes that they will never overcome their substance abuse, this can lead to depression that drives them to use.
CBT can interrupt this thought process and replace it with behaviors that serve the patient. Some of the methods by which cognitive behavioral therapy can address addiction include:
- Identifying how a person perpetuates self-destructive behavior
- Teaching the skills necessary to monitor and change these thought patterns
- Trying new methods of coping with stress, sadness, or anger
- Practicing conscious control over thoughts and actions
Group Work
Overcoming addiction can be difficult when patients try to do so alone, and the presence of a co-occurring disorder can be especially isolating. Group work, whether through meetups or group therapy, can help patients realize that they have a social support network to which they can turn when things become challenging.
Group therapy also helps patients learn from others’ mistakes and progress. They can gather information about what works and what may lead them astray before they fall into relapse themselves.
Live the Life You Want After an Intensive Outpatient Program
Treatment of co-occurring disorders alongside substance abuse or addiction presents additional challenges, but it is far from impossible. In fact, when patients receive care that addresses both the dual diagnosis and the addictive behavior, they see favorable outcomes more often than not.
If you are facing substance abuse and also have a mental health disorder such as anxiety or depression, intensive outpatient programs can help you gain control of your life. Contact Aquila Recovery Clinic in Washington DC to take the first step toward creating the life that you want to live.