Can I Treat My Depression In A Rehab Center?

Many addicts ask the question, can I treat my depression in a rehab center? The reason for this question is that substance abuse is rarely just a matter of physical addiction. Yes, the physical urges to use drugs need to be treated from the start. However, there are psychological reasons why people start to use drugs.

Substance abuse often begins as a means of escape or distraction. When suffering from depression, life as normal can start to feel unbearable. In order to numb the pain or feel better, many people turn to alcohol and drugs. Eventually, they no longer know how to cope without the substances.

Addiction treatment without treating the underlying depression is unlikely to succeed. This is why the best rehab centers take a dual-diagnosis approach, treating addiction and other mental illnesses at the same time.

But is a rehab center really the best place to treat your depression? Is it better to go to a psychiatric facility that focuses on mood disorders?

Here’s what you need to know.

The rehab approach to depression

It might seem counterintuitive that you would get better depression treatment in an addiction facility. However, the reality is that in rehab, you are getting treatment that is better suited to you. This is because depression is not some secondary symptom.

Many recovering addicts suffer from depression, whether or not their depression was the trigger for their addiction. Rehab facilities are therefore treating depression on a day-to-day basis. It is not something they only occasionally come across, but part of the primary problem they are designed to solve.

Depression in a rehab center is treated in a similar way to addiction itself. The individual needs to learn skills to manage strong emotions without substances or superficial distractions. These skills include different types of therapy, the use of non-addictive medication, and mindfulness.

Dual-diagnosis treatment

Other kinds of psychiatric facilities may be well-suited to treating depression, but they are not focused on addiction. They therefore do not take into account the specific challenges recovering addicts face.

While someone who is not battling addiction may be able to return to their old life more easily, recovering addicts need to learn to deal with triggers that may cause them to use drugs. They need to learn how to change their relationships with people who enable them, and to break off relationships that are only destructive.

Dual-diagnosis treatment is therefore the perfect solution for recovering addicts. Both addiction and depression need to be treated in parallel, otherwise one can derail the other.