Usually, dual diagnosis is treated inside a rehabilitation center. Bringing someone having dual diagnosis in the hospital is not really necessary. It is a disorder and not a mortality aspect. In order to achieve the sufficient level of care, one must determine the complications and risks, severity of the illness, and the person’s history of treatment. To be able to attain this kind of service, one must involve his or her loved ones.
Family Role
Family must be able to understand what is going on with the member of the family that is afflicted by the dual disorder. Rehabilitation for abusive use of substances and treatment for mental problems, counseling sessions, education and intensive support groups are some of the most important aspect of care given by health workers in order to promote the dignity of the individual. The more understanding and knowledge that a family has, the higher the chances that the patient will engage in a recovery that’s long lasting.
Helping hand in hand against substance abuse
Family and friends can help in the utmost sense. When it comes to substance dependence, family and friends can stop the form of enabling. Enabling is the act of certain individuals wherein they allows someone within their premise to continue the bad things that they should stop doing. Enabling tolerates and encourages the person to maintain their bad habits of being high and drinking too much. One typical example is when a wife calls her husband’s office to inform the person in charge that he can’t go to work because of a physical sickness when in reality he just came home from drinking from dusk till dawn.
Likewise, in a family that gives their children enormous amount of money which is used to buy illicit drugs because they feel more sorry when their child or children is having withdrawal attacks. Enabling must not be made because of pity. Family should recognize that once they have tolerated certain actions which are bad, it will be more destructive in time.
Family and friends must be confident in making the recovery of their family member to be successful. They have to participate in family programs for the individual in order to recognize the different techniques in dealing with the disorder and how to cease enabling. If the family and friends will comply with what they have learned, relapse is hardly possible.
Dealing with psychiatric conditions
Family and friends may find it more difficult to deal with psychiatric problems because of the unpredictable episodes the client may exhibit. Support system must be more understanding rather than being critical or frightened. The patient must feel the warm and open-mindedness of the people around him. Ignoring psychiatric conditions can just make the behavior become more serious.
Get help immediately
Once you have encountered a friend or a member of the family that experiences relapses in their behavior, you have to initiate to ask for help. You have to encourage the person to engage in acknowledging the different problems concerning him or her. Dual diagnosis must get some attention and fast. As a friend who is concerned with another friend, you must show some concern with the person so that he or she will be able to recognize the need to be cured.