Professionals have to deal with multiple psychological and clinical issues of different degrees regularly. However, sometimes it can be tough for the specialist to diagnose a person if they have several problems simultaneously that might affect each other. For instance, psychological illnesses often are supplemented with addiction, and in some way, they correlate with each other. Therefore, the paper aims to identify the challenges regarding the assessment of several diseases, describe identification strategies, and suggest an appropriate treatment considering the risk of relapse.
One of the critical moments of the assessment is that the patient’s state can only be evaluated when they are sober and do not use any drugs and substances. A mental disorder and substance abuse may have similar or different treatment methods. Therefore, it is crucial to differentiate those diagnoses and identify the symptoms for each of them. Moreover, if the signs of the psychological diseases appear because of the drug use, it usually does not require any specialized therapy, and they will be cured without any interventions. Signs of the mental disorder affected by substance abuse are very similar to the common psychological illnesses such as anxiety, aggressiveness, or manic episodes (Substance Use Disorder Treatment, 2020). Other struggles with the evaluation include the difference in the duration of the symptoms caused by the different stimulators or substances. Some can be gone after hours or days, but for example, a long history of using amphetamine can affect the brain’s work and cause problems with memory.
Still, specific techniques allow the specialist to differentiate the signs of mental disorder and substance abuse. In order to achieve that, it is essential to continue watching the symptoms throughout the whole course of treatment to register changes and identify which reactions are come from the mental illness and which from the addiction (Substance Use Disorder Treatment, 2020). In addition, the specialist will have to do regular reevaluations to get the most accurate clinical picture. The condition of the patients will change as the effect of the drugs will decline pr simply disappear. However, it is crucial to consider that some individuals will have psychological issues caused by drug addiction and vice versa. There are also situations when mental disorders and substance abuse are not connected and exist independently. Thus, another tactic is to provide non-medication treatment, which implies constant psychological help and psychiatric consultations.
Nevertheless, relapse is almost inevitable in the situation with a history of substance abuse, and many patients are exposed to experiencing the drawbacks during the treatment. Recovery programs should have special tactics that would help people learn about the aspect that can trigger them and make them feel the need for drugs again. Moreover, mental and psychotic disorders can lead to remission, and once the patient makes particular progress, there is a possibility to regress (Substance Use Disorder Treatment, 2020). Therefore, besides the regular treatment with medication and a therapeutic approach, it has to contain the constant monitoring of the signs of drug usage and returning psychotic episodes. In general, patients with co-occurring disorders should receive long-term treatment focusing on both psychological illness and substance addiction due to the multiple remissions that are going to appear.
Overall, while evaluating the patient’s state, it is necessary to consider certain factors that will help to assess the person’s condition. Although it is challenging and confusing because the characteristics of drug abuse and mental disorder are similar, it is possible to differ one from another by the systematic approach. By constantly monitoring changes in the patient’s state and clarifying which symptoms are related to which case and if there is an interconnection between them, it can be possible to distinguish the signs. In addition, both medication and psychological approaches should be implemented in the program, and the methods of remission prevention to conduct the treatment successfully.
Reference
Substance Use Disorder Treatment for People With Co-Occurring Disorders. (2020). Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.