Struggling with drug addiction or mental health issues can be profoundly challenging for many individuals. These conditions affect both the body and mind in complex ways. Often overlooked in treatment considerations is understanding the origins and underlying reasons behind substance use or mental health struggles. This is why therapy plays a critical role in nearly every addiction and mental health treatment plan.
Therapy facilitates healing relationships and delves into the root causes of addiction or mental health challenges. It also involves planning for the future and acquiring coping skills, which are crucial for preventing relapse and achieving sustainable recovery. Therapy is essential for personal growth and breaking free from the grip of addiction or unmanaged mental health issues.
Don’t hesitate to transform your life; seek help today! Quality treatment centers like Silver Linings Recovery Center offer personalized therapy options tailored to address both addiction and mental health concerns for you and your family.
We understand the crippling impact of addiction and mental health issues on individuals and their loved ones. Our team of experienced and dedicated therapists and counselors is ready to support you on your path to recovery starting today.
The Importance of Therapy for Addiction and Mental Health Treatment
The mind plays a crucial role in both addiction and mental health treatment. Often, a substance or mental health condition can completely take over a person’s life, leading to dependence on unhealthy coping mechanisms. After detoxification or initial stabilization, physical symptoms may subside, but the risk of relapse or mental health setbacks remains.
Understanding the root causes of your addiction or mental health issues is essential while building skills to combat negative thoughts and potential relapses. These techniques and insights are provided through therapy. Life’s stresses can make cravings, triggers, or symptoms difficult to manage alone. Therapy offers a fresh start, helping you understand your mind, behaviors, and thoughts.
Triggers, such as specific places, people, or environmental stimuli, can provoke strong cravings to use substances again or worsen mental health symptoms. Without the proper skills or mental stability, it’s easy to succumb to relapse or deteriorating mental health. Throughout your journey, you will learn to cope with these triggers and symptoms, coming to terms with your addiction, mental health, and past.
What are the Benefits of Therapy for Addiction and Mental Health?
Therapy has many long-term benefits. In cases of co-occurring disorders (when a person is struggling with both addiction and a mental health disorder), therapy can be particularly helpful. These cases can be very intense and severe (usually requiring residential treatment). However, with specialized therapy, a person can begin to cope with both conditions effectively.
Other benefits of therapy include:
- Helps identify and change distorted ways of thinking
- Helps change a person’s negative and self-defeating behaviors and thought processes
- A great way to focus on mental health disorders and creating a plan for treatment
- Helps the person learn specific skills and coping mechanisms for the future
The Different Types of Therapy For Addiction and Mental Health Treatment
There is no single therapy that works for all cases of addiction or mental health issues. It’s important to recognize that not every therapy option will be suitable for everyone. Treatment typically includes a combination of group and individual therapy. Professional therapists will help you learn techniques and strategies for managing your personal challenges and stresses.
In cases of co-occurring disorders, therapy also addresses mental health conditions like depression and anxiety. While addiction might be a primary issue, other aspects of a person’s life could be the root cause. Treating both the physical and psychological aspects of addiction and mental health is essential for long-term recovery and wellness.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (also known as CBT) is one of the most commonly used forms of treatment. CBT uses different forms of behavioral therapy and focuses on the thoughts and feelings of the individual. More specifically the negative thoughts and patterns that influence a person’s troubling behavior. The connection between a person’s feelings, thoughts, and behaviors is the primary focus of CBT for addiction treatment.
A typical session usually consists of therapists coaching and mentoring the individual through their negative thoughts and feelings (associated with addiction). Oftentimes, people struggling with addiction will have distorted perceptions and thoughts. This can affect a person’s rationale and thought process. These inaccurate thoughts can be damaging to a person’s recovery.
Understanding and working through these can be essential to recovering from addiction and the person’s negative mindset. These sessions are usually 45-60 minutes long and are done in a private, individualized setting. One of the good things about CBT is the length of the therapy. CBT usually lasts between 5 and 10 months for emotional issues. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is also used for both addiction and mental disorders.
Motivational Interviewing (MI)
The liver function test primarily detects the indirect biomarker gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT). In men, the normal range of GGT is 10-71 iU/L. Anything outside of this range indicates alcohol abuse.
Although the liver function test is the second most reliable indirect biomarker blood test, there are many things outside of alcohol abuse that can affect your GGT levels. For example, medications such as warfarin, antidepressants, barbiturates, cimetidine, and epilepsy drugs can affect your GGT levels.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
The full blood count (FBC) or mean corpuscular volume (MCV) test is an indirect alcohol abuse biomarker test that detects recently ingested alcohol in the body. Physiologically, the MCV test detects the volume of red blood cells in a body and compares it to the average volume size of red blood cells that a human tends to have. Volume of red blood cells is considered normal if it is between 80 – 99 fL.
With a 44% sensitivity rate, the mean corpuscular volume test is the least accurate alcohol abuse blood test. Medications and vitamin deficiencies are examples of things that could affect your full blood count/mean corpuscular volume.
The Importance of Getting Help
Therapy is one of the many treatment options available to you. Addiction and mental health issues can be crippling diseases that affect you physically and mentally. Finding the root of your struggles and working to reconcile the past is crucial. Distorted thoughts can worsen over time, making therapy vital for long-term recovery. Choosing the right therapy may be challenging, but doing nothing is not an option.
Don’t Wait to Get Help
Regardless of how you got here, what matters is seeking help. The effects of addiction and mental health issues only worsen over time. Silver Linings is here to guide you toward a better future for you and your loved ones. Therapy for addiction and mental health is essential for recovery and well-being. It’s never too late to seek help, and you are not alone in your struggles. Let us assist you today. Contact us if you have any questions or want more information about treatment options.
