Co-Occurring Disorders

Depression

Depression is common with those with substance use disorders. Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity. It can affect a person’s thoughts, behavior, motivation, feelings, and sense of well-being. It may feature sadness, difficulty in thinking and concentration, a significant increase or decrease in appetite, and time spent sleeping. People experiencing depression may have feelings of dejection, hopelessness and, sometimes, suicidal thoughts. It can either be short term or long term.

The core symptom of depression is said to be anhedonia, which refers to loss of interest or a loss of feeling of pleasure in certain activities that usually bring joy to people. Therapy combined with medication is an effective way to treat depression, and this treatment will be offered at our New Jersey addiction treatment center.

Anxiety

Anxiety is a feeling of uneasiness and worry, usually generalized and unfocused as an overreaction to a situation that is only subjectively seen as threatening. It is often accompanied by muscular tension, restlessness, fatigue, and problems in concentration. Anxiety can be appropriate, but when experienced regularly the individual may suffer from an anxiety disorder. Anxiety is not the same as fear, which is a response to a real or perceived immediate threat; anxiety involves the expectation of future threat.

People facing anxiety may withdraw from situations which have provoked anxiety in the past. Anxiety can be either a short-term “state” or a long-term “trait”. Whereas trait anxiety represents worrying about future events, anxiety disorders are a group of mental disorders characterized by feelings of anxiety and fear. Not treating a person’s underlying anxiety can make the individual more at risk for relapse. Therapy combined with medication is an effective method for treating anxiety. Our qualified clinical team is trained to effectively treat mental health conditions such as anxiety.

Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder that causes periods of depression and abnormally elevated moods.The elevated mood is significant and is known as mania, or hypomania if less severe and symptoms of psychosis are absent. During mania, an individual behaves or feels abnormally energetic, happy, or irritable. Individuals often make poorly thought out decisions with little regard to the consequences. The need for sleep is usually reduced during manic phases. During periods of depression, there may be crying, a negative outlook on life, and a lack of interest in activities. Therapy combined with medication is an effective way to treat Bipolar, and this treatment will be offered in our co-occurring program.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that can develop after a person is exposed to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, or other threats on a person’s life. Symptoms may include disturbing thoughts, feelings, or dreams related to the events, mental or physical distress to trauma-related cues, attempts to avoid trauma-related cues, alterations in how a person thinks and feels, and an increase in the fight-or-flight response. These symptoms last for more than a month after the event. At our New Jersey addiction treatment center, we offer a trauma focused group weekly to treat those with a history of trauma. Individual therapy and medications are also offered as needed.