This approach avoids the fragmented care often resulting from two sequential treatment programs. The unit is staffed by full-time board certified addiction psychiatrists, addiction psychiatry fellows, psychiatry residents, psychologists, social workers and nurses skilled and experienced in dual diagnosis treatment. The treatment approach is multi-modal with pharmacological, psychotherapeutic, social work and occupational therapy components. The patients experience individual and small group encounters that emphasize self help techniques and 12-step recovery tools. Areas of focus of the substance abuse treatment program are relapse prevention, coping skills training, stress avoidance and relaxation training.
Emphasis is given to educating patients about depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorders.
Families are requested to participate in these efforts and to assist in discharge planning. An especially important facet of care is the availability after discharge of continuing treatment by the outpatient department of our addiction psychiatry division located within the same building. There is also a psychiatry detoxification service on the dual diagnosis unit that provides the initial treatment of withdrawal symptoms in patients with concurrent psychiatric illness. This is important because patient s diagnostic pictures are frequently obscured by withdrawal symptoms. This service is also available for other patient s in whom a complicated detoxification from drugs or alcohol is accompanied by psychiatric symptoms as part of the withdrawal process.