It’s distressing to watch a loved one struggling with addiction. The situation is made worse if they are also dealing with a personality disorder at the same time. It can feel as though your loved one has become a stranger overnight.
A personality disorder is a type of mental health condition that can range from mild to severe. While there are different types of personality disorders, all of them result in individuals being unable to cope with life and often affect how they relate with others.
If your loved one is battling both addiction and a personality disorder, you may feel as though there’s no hope. The good news is that help is available for them as most addiction treatment centers these days have counselors who can assist addicts with personality disorders.
The Link Between Addiction and Personality Disorders
Here at the Robert Alexander Center for Recovery, we have counselors who are trained to help addicts who have a dual diagnosis. This means the addict has been diagnosed with a co-occurring mental health condition e.g. a personality disorder, in addition to their addiction.
It’s not uncommon to find those with addiction also dealing with personality disorders. This is because the latter causes far-reaching changes in an individual’s life and how they form relationships with others. As a result, the person might turn to alcohol or drugs to cover up their symptoms or to try and deal with the upheaval brought about by the personality disorder. Unfortunately, this ends up being a negative cycle that makes the person emotionally unstable and with erratic behavior.
To help such individuals, rehab facilities have to address both the addiction and personality disorder simultaneously. As soon as the person completes a detox program, they are assigned a personality disorder counselor as they move on to an intensive outpatient or an outpatient program. Only those with severe addiction or personality disorders are admitted to residential treatment programs.
Integrated treatment incorporates different treatment methods including:
- One-on-one counseling – the individual has to attend counseling sessions for both personality disorder and addiction.
- Behavioral therapy – this is the main method used to help those with personality disorders replace their negative thought patterns and behaviors with positive ones.
- Family therapy– the individual’s family has to be involved through a family therapy program where they’ll also undergo counseling as well as receive education on how to help and support their loved one’s treatment.
- Support groups – the client will need to build relationships with others who are undergoing similar situations and that’s where support groups come in handy.
- An aftercare program – treatment doesn’t end with discharge from a treatment program. We still follow up with the individual to ensure they stay on the recovery path.
If you or your loved one is battling addiction along with a personality disorder, don’t despair. Help is available at the Robert Alexander Center for Recovery in Kentucky. Reach out to us today and start getting the help you need to rebuild your life.
