There’s a world of difference between sadness and depression. One passes; the other one remains in place and severely affects your ability to function. For many, the latter eventually contributes to a chemical dependency. Therefore, Pillars Recovery offers depression treatment alongside its other rehab modalities.
How Depression Could Lead to Addiction
Clinical depression stops you in your tracks. It’s difficult to function. A good-quality depression treatment program can help you overcome some of the symptoms. However, few people realize that’s what they’re struggling with.
Pillars Recovery routinely works with clients who never underwent a psychiatric assessment. Rather, they self-medicate. A typical drug of choice is alcohol. Although it’s a nervous system depressant, it initially gives a high.
After that, it numbs the pain and sadness. Before long, you use alcohol as a depression treatment. Others may reach for stimulants to develop the energy they need to function throughout the day. You might develop a dependency on cocaine or smart drugs.
Addiction Could Also Lead to Depression
Similarly, it’s possible for any type of drug addiction to cause depression. A depression treatment program must take into account that substance abuse can cause or worsen psychiatric reactions. For starters, there are changes in the brain’s chemistry. Drugs rewrite the way that neurotransmitter release works.
Now that you want to quit using, the absence of the drug results in an imbalance in the brain’s chemicals. The resulting depression can be debilitating. Without appropriate depression treatment, it’s possible for you to relapse. After all, the sudden sadness is more than many people can handle without assistance.
What Depression Treatment Includes
When you arrive at Pillars Recovery, you work with therapists who assess your condition. They ask you plenty of health-related questions. Most importantly, they also determine your mental health. If you struggle with depression, or any other psychiatric disorder, it’s possible to heal at our dual diagnosis treatment center.
In rehab, we refer to the presence of a mental health problem and chemical dependency as a co-occurring disorder. Others call it a dual diagnosis. Treatments include:
- Addiction detox program that provides for treatment of chemical imbalances in the brain to prevent deepening depression
- Group therapy that features addiction education to help you understand the relationship between the co-occurring disorders
- Withdrawal management, which uses medication to balance the chemicals in the brain
- Psychiatric counseling as a way to explore the roots of the depression
- Family and marriage counseling that becomes part of a depression treatment program to assist with trigger recognition
- LGBTQ affirmative care that can counteract causes of depression in some clients seeking treatment at Pillars Recovery
As you undergo depression treatment, you simultaneously learn how to overcome addiction. Therapists assist you with an exploration of what made you use in the first place. For some, it’s a trip back on memory lane. That’s typically the case when drugs and alcohol have been part of your life for a long time.
Other vital aspects of care involve experiential treatments. Case in point is art therapy, which allows you an opportunity to explore inner thoughts and feelings nonverbally. Recreational therapy combines motion with group sessions. Your brain naturally releases dopamine while you learn to apply coping skills when interacting with others.
What Could Your Future Look Like?
Can you imagine how your life could change if you underwent treatment for the depression that’s so debilitating right now? If you struggle with substance abuse, you could look forward to lifelong sobriety. And it all starts with high-quality depression treatment. Contact Pillars Recovery today to learn more; dial 866-782-0247 now to talk to an intake specialist.