Facing addiction and mental health challenges together is challenging, but it is not uncommon. Many times, addiction can stem from mental health challenges, whereas at other times, addiction can lead to other mental health challenges. If you have just gotten a diagnosis for both addiction and mental health challenges, we can understand how you might be feeling. However, it is not the end – it is a pathway to a new beginning. With the right care, you can break free from this vicious cycle of pain, suffering, and relapse to build a future for yourself that you can look forward to.
Your decision to embark on the journey of recovery in itself is the beginning of your healing. At this point, it makes a significant difference to know the different care options available to you – and today, we will introduce you to the partial hospitalization program (PHP), which can be a great option for treating addiction and mental health challenges together.
What is a PHP?
PHP stands for partial hospitalization program. Also known as day care, it is an outpatient rehab option that provides intensive care and structure for up to 8 hours every day, and you can return to the comfort of your home or a sober living residence once the day’s sessions are complete. This way, you do not have to stay at a hospital, and you will not have to lose touch with the outside world, unlike with residential care options. Given that it does not require overnight hospital stays, it is a more cost-effective option than residential rehab, too. So, it is a kind of best-of-the-both-worlds approach to treating addiction and mental health challenges together.
Understanding Co-Occurring Disorders
When addiction and mental health challenges occur together, they are known as co-occurring disorders. Addiction or substance use disorders co-occur at high prevalence with other mental health disorders, such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder, schizophrenia, and so on.
While experts have not been able to pinpoint a definitive reason as to why this happens, three theories have been put forth:
- Both addiction and mental health challenges have certain similar risk factors (like the interplay between genes and environment) that can increase the likelihood of both.
- Addiction can stem from mental health challenges, as many turn to psychoactive substances to self-medicate and numb the pain and suffering.
- Addiction can change the brain’s structure, chemistry, and functioning, giving rise to mental health challenges.
How PHP Addresses Both Addiction and Mental Health?
A diagnosis of both addiction and mental health challenges is known as a dual diagnosis. PHP is ideal for dual diagnosis, as it allows you to move toward true healing in a systematic way, as both concerns need equal attention. PHPs are condition-specific in that they will be designed to treat both conditions simultaneously.
Typically, your care plan will involve intensive psychotherapy, as it is the cornerstone of treatment. A one-size-fits-all approach can be detrimental to your recovery, so PHPs employ a combination of therapies, such as:
- Motivational interviewing
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
- Dialectical behavior therapy
- Acceptance and commitment therapy
- Trauma-informed therapy
- Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy
- Mindfulness therapy
- Group therapy
- Family therapy
- Other therapies.
Alongside therapy, medication management is crucial to dual diagnosis treatment. Medications can allow for you to control one concern if not both and uplift your quality of life. Medication management will involve prescribing, monitoring, and adjusting medications like anxiolytics, antidepressants, and antipsychotics, as well as medications like buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone to reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms associated with substance use disorders.
PHP will also focus on life skills training. As PHP focuses even on your journey post-rehab, it teaches you practical tools and skills for managing your triggers, cravings, relationships, stressors, and other negativities in life. In other words, you will learn to be your therapist, as recovery is as much about leading the life you want to live as it is about staying sober.
Benefits of PHP for Dual Diagnosis
PHPs are condition-specific in that they can be specifically crafted to treat your dual diagnosis. As they do not follow a cookie-cutter approach to your care, here are several benefits they offer:
- Coordinated approach in addressing both addiction and mental health disorders simultaneously.
- Intensive structure and care for several hours a day lead to stability during the early days of recovery.
- Take a whole-person approach by focusing on healing and strengthening your mind, body, and spirit.
- Provide balanced care, as you can live outside of the rehabilitation center.
- Aftercare and step-down options are available to ensure you are supported even after PHP ends.
- Higher chances of a successful recovery from both conditions, as well as an increased quality of life.
Generally, residential rehab is considered the gold standard for dual diagnosis treatment. However, it is not so. PHP can offer specific benefits that you do not get in a residential setting. For instance, when you learn a skill in PHP and practice it immediately after in the outside world, it reinforces the skill and makes it more automatic in daily settings. Therefore, PHP can lead to better outcomes due to its flexibility and reinforcement in real-world contexts.
How to Choose the Right PHP Program?
When it comes to a dual diagnosis of addiction and mental health disorders, just care will not do. You need the right care for yourself that aligns with your diagnosis, needs, and goals. For that, you will need to choose the right partial hospitalization program for you.
If you think PHP can be the right care option for you, then you can consult with your primary healthcare provider, who can then refer you to rehab centers that offer PHPs for you. You can even ask your family and friends for referrals. There are three things you need to look for in a PHP:
- Location – As you will have to travel to and from the rehab center, you will need to choose one that is close to you.
- Quality Service – Quality is something that you can never compromise on. Some ways to judge the quality of a PHP is to look for the presence of a qualified team, quality resources, and therapist-to-client ratio.
- Treatment – Modes of treatment are also something you want to watch out for – whether they provide personalized treatment plans involving evidence-based therapies, medication management, social support, and aftercare.
Final Reflections
Getting diagnosed with both addiction and mental health conditions can be a challenging thing to face. But it is also a turning point in your life as you seek real healing and move toward the life you want to embrace. During this time, seeking and receiving the right care becomes crucial to take this journey with hope and confidence.
A partial hospitalization program is a holistic and personalized program you can look into, which has shown great success in providing dual-focused care. It gets to the bottom of each condition to alleviate the symptoms and facilitate healing and enduring recovery.