Introduction to the Concept of Integrated Treatment

Integrated therapy started some time ago, professionals for the treatment of mental health issues and drug addiction had a simplistic view of mental illness and drug addiction. And they used to take very basic steps and utilize simple techniques to recover a patient from mental health disorders. But, new integrated therapy ideas and methods of treatment have evolved and currently evolving with the passage of time. Nowadays, we are more exposed to knowledge and have more experience than them. We do not take the simplistic view of mental health issues or drug addiction behavior. As professionals of the new era, we have a belief and experience that no mental health problem or drug addiction case can be solved by having a simple approach to recovery without integrated therapy. We are more aware of the condition that if someone gets one of the mental disorders, he or she is more likely to develop another mental illness or follow the path of drug addiction at the same time and vice versa. We have named this situation a “co-occurring” state of mental health. And treat co-occurring disorders very carefully and with a variety of techniques consistently; this is called integrated therapy to the pathway of recovery from mental illnesses.

The victims of dual diagnosis sometimes go and seek help from different psychiatrists, and others follow different methods of rehabilitation to get rid of both or all of the mental and addictive behaviours. Every and every psychiatrist and recovery method or program recommends different prescriptions and different ways to recover from dually diagnosed disorders.

Other teams of doctors at each time means different medications for the victim and maybe sometimes opposite to the previous prescriptions. But, integrated treatment is very distinctive from the above-stated condition. Here you will learn what integrated therapy is and how it is helpful for the patients who are dually diagnosed with drug addiction and one of many mental health disorders at the same time.

Understanding Integrated Therapy in Specific Words

Integrated therapy is a method of treatment of patients diagnosed with two or more mental health disorder and or substance addiction. This is called a co-occurring state with victims. When treating the co-occurring condition, you need to focus more on the patient as a professional. So, treatment of co-occurring state becomes more complicated when the patient newly comes to you for integrated therapy, and you need some time to understand the condition of the patient and the diagnosed mental health disorders properly. So, when you have managed to understand the state of the patient precisely and professionally, now it is time to take over the patient with the strategies and therapy or other medical treatments. 

Now understand what is integrated therapy and how it is distinctive from other methods of treating a co-occurring state?

The United States Department of Health & Human Care’ against Substance Addiction and Psychological Health Services Management (SAMHSA) advocates integrated therapy for individuals with co-occurring conditions as a more reliable, tailored solution. The United States Psychiatric Association, like the United States Psychological Association, frequently advocates integrated rehabilitation. In practice, instead of addressing each illness individually, this structured approach to wellbeing, which incorporate therapy and treatments in mental health and opioid addiction, seems to have become the standard method.

Advantages of Newer Age Integrated Therapy

integrated therapy is recommended by SAMHSA and other national institutes related to mental health disorders and drug abuse as a proper and professional treatment method to recover from mental health illness and drug addiction at the same time. Let us understand the benefits of this method of treating co-occurring disorders.

Success with the mental and emotional approach to drug addiction as well as the mental health problem help people to consider the part drugs play in their lives. Give patients an opportunity to understand integrated therapy, how medicines interfere with the mechanism of mental illness and other drugs, to use them as the basis for their own use of the substances. By research on integrated therapy, Offers specialized treatment for person or community or family groups or a mixture of individuals’ particular necessities with co-occurring conditions. Aids patients to rehabilitation by providing a broader outlook and assistance, such as work-family conflict and job assistance, etc. Allows clients to identify individual recovery objectives and understand how restoration from each disease works in integrated therapy.

Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), emergency management, motivational interviews and re-occurrence avoidance are the most effective tailored techniques for individuals with co-occurring illnesses. There is no correct recommended treatment;
Co-Occurring Disorders Need a Customized Integrated Therapy Solution of Individualized Approach with These Several Comprehensive and Fundamental Features:

• Both psychiatric and alcohol disorders must be dealt with integrated therapy, and the different interests of patients must be addressed correctly and on time.
• Any required prescription should be included, and the victim should take care of prescribed medicines like no other individual in the family or inmates have access to them.
• Care must accept that many people who live with dependency on drugs have mental health challenges too.
• The treatment strategy needs to be evaluated on a regular basis such that the proper treatment is provided and the right schedule changes as needs or objectives change with the passage of time.

Components of An Integrated Therapy Plan

Here is the Overview of the integrated therapy Strategy:

• This treatment program is known for its most advanced technique, “Multifunctional Coordinated Care for more than one disorders simultaneously.”
• Another well-known aspect of integrated therapy is that this technique of curing co-occurring disorders follows the strategy of “bundled treatments with a regular basis.”
• There is no difference between care for psychiatric disease and treatment for drug abuse. The exact process and same technique are utilized for both of the disorders.
• In one location, all health providers work together. The collaboration of different care providers helps in the process of making powerful strategies against co-occurring diseases. This is the tremendous success of integrated therapys against drug abuse and mental health disorders.

Some Facts and Figure Related to Co-Occurring Condition

• There are many individuals who suffer from co-occurring severe mental illnesses and co-occurring addictive behaviors (e.g., drug addiction, gambling). These individuals have often been subjected to multiple integrated therapy for their particular illnesses. For example, a patient with bipolar disorder may have been treated with anti-depressants for approximately three to five years and has participated in at least one anti-depressant and/or alcohol abuse treatment program. In addition, she has gone through at least one panic attack episode in each of these instances. If these medications had been added to her usual anti-depressant or alcohol abuse treatment with integrated therapy, it is likely that she would still be experiencing some of the symptoms associated with depression (e.g., increased sadness, feelings of overwhelming guilt) even after completing these programs. In other words, the individual would need additional help from either another type of integrated therapy or medication to effectively treat her co-occurring severe mental illness and addiction.
• About half of the victims who are currently suffering from a critical mental sickness have developed chronic or minor drug addiction behavior. But, compared to that, victims who are suffering from Schizophrenia are “four times” more likely to have a drug addiction disorder like alcohol addiction.
• Twenty-nine per cent of all diagnosed and verified victims with any mental health illness abuse alcohol or other inhalants like alcohol. But compared to that statistics, the victims who are suffering from the bipolar disease are “five times” more likely to abuse alcohol or other drugs.
• Compared to fifteen per cent of the whole population who misuse drugs like alcohol and other drugs, thirty-seven per cent of alcohol users and fifty-three per cent of other substance addicts experience at least one co-occurring mental disorder at least once in life and need integrated therapy.
• Out of 8.9 million United States residents who suffer from co-occurring disorders, only 7.4 per cent of victims undergo proper medication annually.
• Half of the adults who have no home in the United States of America (homeless adults) suffer from at least one co-occurring disease at least once in life.
• About sixteen per cent of jail prisoners develop at least one psychiatric health disease at least once in jail period.
• Seventy-two per cent of the above prisoners develop drug misuse habit and need integrated therapy.

Effects of Integrated Therapy that Have Been Proven Effective

Here are some effects of integrated therapy, which have been proven efficient for the proper remedy of the co-occurring condition of mental disorder and drug abuse.

• Since the mid-1990s, more than eight research studies have found that integrated therapy is efficient in controlling co-occurring conditions.
• It has been shown in the studies of the year 2005 that Sufferers with first-episode psychosis disorder experienced a substantial decrease in adverse and suicidal effects.

A study that was carried out in 1997 on integrated therapy those who were diagnosed with dual disease concluded and stated the following improvements in their daily life, recovery from drug abuse habit, improvement in the standards of life and decrease in the time spent in hospitals:

1. Fewer institutional days
2. More development toward substance abuse rehabilitation
3. More time spent in stable housing
4. Improved quality of life and functional status
5. Fewer arrests or prison time
6. Decreased hospitalization or decreased number of check-ups.

Now, it is up to you to decide whether an integrated therapy program will help you in the pathway of recovery or not. Co-occurring diseases are expensive and highly fatal; do not seek to treat them alone. It’s tempting to believe that a case is bleak, but integrated care has helped countless families who are dealing with similar problems. Consider calling your doctor today before the time passes, and you only have to regret on yourself for not opting integrated therapy.