There are few things worse than watching a loved one suffer and feeling helpless. Seeing someone we love struggle with addiction and depression is heartbreaking, but it can be hard to know how to help someone with drug addiction and depression. The first step is often acknowledging that there is a problem, but that often leads to more questions than answers. At 10 Acre Ranch, we are here to help you and your loved one navigate addiction, depression, treatment, and recovery.
Can Drug Addiction and Depression Be Addressed at Rehab?
Drug addiction and depression can be addressed at the same time while attending rehab. Many individuals who struggle with drug addiction have co-occurring mental health disorders. Because of this, many treatment centers have programs that focus on dual diagnosis, which simply means that the addiction and a co-occurring mental health disorder can be treated at the same time. Cognitive behavioral therapy, pharmacological interventions, and more can all be a part of rehab. These components can be added whether treatment is completed on a residential or outpatient basis. Researchers have found that treating addiction and depression simultaneously can lead to a more significant reduction in symptoms.
How to Help Someone With Drug Addiction and Depression
Often people with mental health disorders such as depression will turn to drugs as a way to self-medicate. However, some drugs, such as alcohol and benzos, are depressants. The use of these drugs will not help and will instead increase the symptoms of depression. Most individuals do not realize this while they are caught in the cycle of addiction and continue to use it. Often the first step in helping your loved one is to help them see that they are caught within the cycle of addiction. This may be done with a simple conversation or by holding an intervention. An intervention is generally a meeting between the individual who is addicted and their loved ones. Your goal is to lovingly but firmly confront them with their behavior and its impact on the family. There is not a specific number of people who need to attend, but it might be wise to keep the numbers small, or the meeting will be too overwhelming. Interventions generally include the following four stages:
- Validation
- Documentation
- Recommendation
- Consequences
Your goal is to come from a place of love and compassion while you present your loved one with the facts. While you might be angry, try to remember that while you hate the addiction, you do love this person. Try to help them understand how their behavior is affecting you and how you are feeling. Once you’ve shared what’s been happening and how you feel, you’ll want to make some suggestions for what steps you’d like to see this person take. Perhaps you’d like them to go to rehab, see a therapist, or attend a recovery meeting. Whatever action you’d like to see taken, you also need to spell out what consequences will occur if the action is not taken. Be sure to set consequences that you will stand by and follow through if there is no change.
Before you hold an intervention, you’ll want to do some research about what kinds of programs are available for your loved one to attend. If your loved one suffers from depression and is fighting addiction, research dual diagnosis programs. See what the options are for treating co-occurring disorders so that you are armed with the information to make recommendations.
Benefits of Going to 10 Acre Ranch for Rehab
At 10 Acre Ranch, we’ve been providing Southern California with expert and caring addiction treatment for over 25 years. Our mission is to rebuild lives, restore families, and improve communities. We are one of the leading rehab facilities in California and offer a wide range of programs that will help you or your loved one. We provide a welcoming environment where we tailor healing to the whole person. We are committed to helping you or your loved one break free from active addiction. Contact us today and let us help you with your addiction!
