Recovery, LA Living, and Co-occurring Disorders
One of the most high-risk scenarios that occur with individuals suffering from addiction or substance use disorder is the development of other co-occurring mental illnesses. Sometimes, untreated mental illnesses can even lead to substance use disorders (SUD). Lakehouse Recovery is equipped to treat both regardless of your specific situation. While focusing on addiction treatment specifically, our staff will work with you to focus on any other co-occurring mental illnesses you may be experiencing, such as anxiety, addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), eating disorder, and many more. We offer several ways to help individuals cope with these co-occurring disorders.
For starters, each of our clients has at least one individual therapy session each week. The frequency of these therapy sessions is dependent on the needs of the client. Our ten-week curriculum is also chock full of education and programs to help. Methods such as yoga and meditation have shown the capability to assist with mental illnesses, in addition to addiction or SUD. We also include the importance of nutrition and healthy lifestyles in our curriculum, which have also been shown to reduce the symptoms of addiction, SUD, and co-occurring mental illnesses. If you or someone you love is struggling with these co-occurring disorders, we encourage you to continue reading below – perhaps something will inspire you to continue your path to recovery.
Co-occurring Disorders
In terms of mental health and substance use disorders, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) define a co-occurring disorder as “any combination of two or more substance use disorder and mental disorder identified” in the DSM-5. They define a serious mental illness as when someone over 18 has a diagnosable mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder that has caused “a serious functional impairment that substantially interferes with or limits one or major life activities.” Lastly, they explain that substance use disorders “occur when the recurrent use of alcohol and/or drugs causes clinically significant impairment,” which can include health complications or inability to fill work-related, job-related, or family-related responsibilities. For more resources on co-occurring disorders, feel free to visit the link above.
SAMHSA also identifies the most common co-occurring disorders as:
- Anxiety and Mood Disorders
- Schizophrenia
- Bipolar Disorder
- Major Depressive Disorder
- Conduct Disorders
- PTSD
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
It’s essential for rehabilitation facilities and treatment centers to be equipped to treat any number of needs a client may have. This includes being able to treat and provide resources for these co-occurring disorders.
Substance Use Disorders and Mental Health in Los Angeles
The numbers from SAMHSA regarding mental health disorders in the Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Santa Ana regions from 2005 – 2010 illustrate the severity of this drug pandemic. Of the annual population of persons 12 and older residing in these regions from 2005 to 2010 — which was 10.3 million at the time — 1.6 million of those individuals had used illicit drugs. There were 892,000 people twelve years and older who had been classified as having a substance use disorder, and 495,000 adults eighteen and older in these regions had experienced major depressive episodes.
While the Lakehouse Recovery Center is just a hop, skip, and a jump over from LA County, we would highly encourage you to reach out if you or someone you love is seeking treatment. If distance were ever an issue, we would encourage you to mosey on over to our websites for more information on our virtual offerings. With what seems to be an ever-increasing number of mental health cases throughout LA County and the United States as a whole, providing treatment to as many people as possible is extremely important to us at the Lakehouse.
Co-occurring Disorder Resources
To find more resources on treatment for co-occurring disorders in LA, you might consider visiting the County of Los Angeles Department of Mental Health’s website. The LAC-DMH has “worked to provide effective mental health treatment and support services for the mentally ill in one of the largest and most diverse counties in the nation. Over the past few decades, they have strived to implement programs to effectively aid in the treatment of the Los Angeles population struggling with addiction and mental illness.
You can also use their website to find more information on services provided through LA county. In addition, the Lakehouse has access to resources and contact that may help you on your path to recovery. We recognize that not every treatment program or rehabilitation facility will be the right fit for every client. At the very least, though, we may be able to get you in touch with a program that is.
Individuals struggling with addiction and substance use disorders can be at a greater risk for developing mental disorders. Those struggling with mental illness can also be at a greater risk for developing an addiction or substance use disorder. When these situations present themselves, they are called a co-occurring disorder. Due to the frequency, treatment centers and rehabilitation facilities must effectively provide treatment for anything a client may need. At the Lakehouse Recovery Center, we are always prepared to do just that. Both our program and curriculum are designed to treat and educate clients on their addiction and other co-occurring disorders they may be experiencing. While we can focus on clients throughout the LA area, our virtual offerings allow us to treat clients from essentially anywhere. To learn more, please call us at (877) 762-3707 today. Let us help you start your path to recovery today at the Lakehouse Recovery Center.