PCN 501 Grand Canyon Week 5 Discussion 1

Discuss why integrating coordinated treatments for co-occurring disorders is important. Provide examples to support your discussion.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 

Integrating coordinated treatments for co-occurring disorders

Introduction

Co-occurring disorders are not just the result of having a mental illness. Co-occurring disorders can be caused by another condition, such as substance abuse or physical illness. If you have both a mood or anxiety disorder and another condition, there are steps you can take to make sure that your mood disorder doesn’t get worse or interfere with your other health problems.

Pay attention to warning signs.

• Depression

• Substance abuse

• Both depression and substance abuse can be warning signs that you may need to seek help. If you have any of these symptoms, talk to your doctor or mental health professional about what you’re experiencing.

Seek help before your problems get worse.

• Get help before your problems get worse.

• Get help before the problems become too big to handle.

• Get help before the problems start affecting other people.

• Get help before the problems start affecting your health, or your work if you’re in a job where there are consequences for not working well, like being fired or getting demoted at work because of how poorly you perform on an important project due to lack of focus when trying to juggle multiple tasks at once like driving while talking on the phone with someone else who wants their opinion heard by another person who also needs their input considered by yet another party who may be saying something negative about themself (and everyone else) if given enough time).

Talk to your doctor and therapist.

Talking to your doctor and therapist is a critical part of getting the most out of therapy. Not only will they help you understand how best to treat these co-occurring disorders, but they can also help you know what resources are available in your area. You may want to consider seeing an experienced psychotherapist or psychiatrist who specializes in treating people with multiple conditions at once.

If there isn’t a therapist available near where you live, ask around for recommendations from other patients who have successfully integrated their treatment plans with each other’s services. Your local community college might provide classes on integrating mental health services with medical care; some schools even allow students to take courses that cover both topics simultaneously!

Take advantage of self-help groups.

Self-help groups are a great way to connect with others who understand your situation. They offer a sense of belonging and can help you stay motivated, but it’s important to find the right one for you.

• Online support groups

• Local organizations (like your local chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness)

If online support groups don’t work for you, there are still many ways that self-help groups can be helpful:

Commit to recovery.

Commitment to recovery is the most important factor in managing co-occurring disorders. Don’t give up on yourself or your treatment—not even if it means going back to school, getting a job, or taking on new responsibilities at home and work.

Don’t give up hope that you can get better; every day is an opportunity for improvement. When you’re ready, we’ll be there with you every step of the way!

Anyone can recover from co-occurring disorders with the right treatment, support and determination.

Anyone can recover from co-occurring disorders with the right treatment, support and determination.

The following people have recovered from their mental health problems:

• A man who survived a near-fatal car accident that left him with severe brain damage, depression and anxiety. After struggling for years on his own he found help through cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) at a hospital in New York City. He credits his recovery to CBT; however, he says it took many years before he felt well enough to leave the hospital—and even then he continued seeing therapists until about ten years ago when he was able to return home after two decades away from society’s most basic needs like eating food or sleeping properly at night without waking up repeatedly throughout the night due to nightmares caused by PTSD symptoms that persist even after years without medication

Conclusion

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution for treatment of co-occurring disorders, but there are many resources available to help. The earlier you seek treatment, the more likely you are to overcome your problems and lead a healthier life. You can also improve your chances of recovery with the right combination of therapy and medication.