Symptoms of Dual Diagnosis

Dual diagnosis is one of the most commonly used terms to describe when someone has both a substance abuse disorder like alcoholism and a separate mental health condition or conditions such as depression. Other commonly used terms include co-occurring disorders, co-morbid disorders, and comorbidity.

The presence of any dual diagnosis condition makes the treatment of alcoholism more difficult. Similarly, the presence of alcoholism makes the treatment of any mental illness more difficult. There are a number of reasons for this.

Because the symptoms of alcohol abuse and many mental health conditions are so similar, it is often very difficult, if not impossible, to properly diagnose a patient until they have stopped using alcohol. This is especially true when a patient suffers from multiple mental illnesses. Without proper diagnosis, proper treatment is unlikely.

Treatment itself is more complicated as well. To maximize the chances of success, both the alcoholism and the dual diagnosis condition should be treated concurrently. Doing so will reduce the symptoms of both. The less the individual drinks, the less severe and frequent their symptoms will be, and the less they will feel the need to drink to escape them. However, this will take more specialized treatment. The patient will need to be treated by both mental health and addiction experts. Until recently, most mental health patients had little experience in handling addiction, though this is changing. Most rehab facilities, on the other hand, have extensive experience dealing with many mental health conditions, as so many of their patients suffer from them.

Dual diagnosis can make recovery more challenging for many individuals, especially those that have not dealt with the mental condition in a meaningful way in many years, or in many cases, ever. Also, some conditions make relapse more likely due to associated lapses in judgment. In no way does that mean that treatment is impossible, however. Most alcoholics with a dual diagnosis can dramatically improve with proper treatment, and many successfully maintain their sobriety.

Although every mental illness has different symptoms (and this is especially true when they are mixed with alcohol), there are some symptoms that are shared by many. Here are some common warning signs that many with a dual diagnosis exhibit.

Symptoms of Dual Diagnosis:

• Increasing isolation from family and friends
• Increased or decreased appetite
• Reduced energy and motivation
• Difficulty concentrating and completing tasks
• Decreasing performance at work and in personal life
• Irritability, mood swings, and anxiety
• Making excuses for alcohol use and strange behavior

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Regards,

Nancy Ella