By MindWise HealthCo-Occurring Disorder Treatment
1 treatment center 8 services offered
1 treatment center on Curivya lists Co-Occurring Disorder Treatment, across Tennessee. The same location also lists Family Program, Supportive Housing Services, Continuing Care, Transitional Living (Halfway House Services) and Intensive Residential Treatment.
Co-occurring disorder treatment is care for people who have both a mental health condition and a substance use disorder at the same time, such as depression with alcohol use, or PTSD with opioid use. SAMHSA describes co-occurring disorders as the presence of both, with each able to be diagnosed on its own.
The aim is to treat the two together rather than one at a time. Each condition can make the other worse, and treating only one often leaves a person stuck between services. Co-occurring care is offered in outpatient practices as well as residential programs.
What integrated treatment means
SAMHSA describes integrated treatment as care in which mental health and substance use treatment are combined, provided by the same clinician or the same treatment team, rather than handed back and forth between separate systems. In practice, one plan covers both conditions, and the people treating you talk to each other.
That matters because when the two are treated in separate places on separate schedules, people can fall into the gap, told to deal with one condition before the other will be treated.
Where it happens
Co-occurring care can be delivered at every level, from outpatient visits to residential programs. What it includes depends on the setting.
- Assessment for both mental health and substance use conditions.
- Therapy that addresses both, individually and in groups.
- Psychiatric care and medication management, including medications for substance use disorders where appropriate.
- Coordination with recovery housing, family programs and continuing care.
Why the two are hard to untangle
The conditions often feed each other. Someone may drink to quiet anxiety or get to sleep, and the drinking then worsens anxiety, mood and sleep. Stopping can bring hidden symptoms to the surface.
Because intoxication and withdrawal can cause symptoms of their own, clinicians often reassess mood and anxiety after a period without using before settling on a diagnosis. That is one reason integrated care is useful: the same team watches both conditions change over time.
How to tell whether a program is really integrated
Many programs say they treat co-occurring disorders. Ask specific questions to see how that works in practice.
- Is there a psychiatrist or psychiatric nurse practitioner on the team?
- Do mental health and substance use clinicians share one treatment plan?
- Will you continue my current psychiatric medications? Talk to your prescriber before any change.
- What happens if my mental health symptoms get worse during treatment?
Common questions about Co-Occurring Disorder Treatment
What are co-occurring disorders?
They are a mental health condition and a substance use disorder in the same person at the same time. SAMHSA notes that each can be diagnosed independently of the other.
What is the difference between co-occurring and dual diagnosis?
They mean the same thing. Dual diagnosis is the older term; co-occurring disorders is the term SAMHSA and most treatment programs use now.
Should I treat the addiction or the mental illness first?
Current federal guidance favors treating both together where possible. Ask a program how it handles both, and talk with your clinicians about what fits your situation.