Treatment

Treatment is a journey that not all individuals experience with similar thoughts, feelings, or behaviors.  In order to plan the best course of treatment for an individual, how a person processes thoughts, expresses emotions, or views, recovery needs to be taken into consideration.  In addition, personal histories, family dynamics, and support networks should be considered when designing an individual treatment plan.  These vary according to the individual. Individualized treatment plans allow the individual to recover in a way that is the best fit for them emotionally, socially, and cognitively.  There may be some overlap in treatment such as attendance at 12-step meetings or group therapy; however, the treatment plan should encompass the unique situation of each person.  This may include individualized therapy plans with a therapist that can address specific psychological or behavioral issues.   When a person enters treatment, there may be overwhelming feelings associated with shame or guilt and these will need to be addressed on an individual therapeutic basis.  There may be individuals who require a more comprehensive treatment approach in terms of medical evaluations.  Physical issues should be assessed on an individual basis and treated accordingly based on severity of need. Therapists will assess and review the possibility of needing a physician’s intervention to ensure psychological issues do not have a biological component.  Some individuals may need to be treated through pharmacological measures and others may need more intense interventions such as detoxification. These would require physical intervention from a physician.  If an individual has been ordered to complete treatment by the courts, there may be a need to address any corresponding feelings of helplessness, anger, or resentment.  If not addressed, these can lead to an escalation of non-compliant behavior while in treatment.   These emotional, physical,social, or psychological issues are as individual as the person who enters treatment; therefore, it is not only important but also necessary to develop treatment plans that complement the individual and their unique recovery needs.  The goal of treatment is sustained recovery and learning new ways in which to manage life and corresponding stressors and even though the goal might be the same, how one reaches this goal will vary depending on individual need.

In addition to blocking cravings for heroin or other opiates, Vivitrol can affect the brain in other ways. Vice reported that “its active ingredient may also block the brain’s natural opioids, endorphins, and enkephalins.” Vivitrol's main ingredient naloxone causes a long term release into the brain which can stave off cravings for long periods of time. However, the other ways the brain is affected can create depression or a lack of interest in life which is triggering to heroin and opioid addicts. As depressant drugs, opioids slow down the brain and body so much that people in the thick of their opioid addiction do nothing much more than use opioids. The article explained, “Consequently, it has the potential to reduce normal pleasures like those from food, exercise, music, and perhaps most important, the ‘warmth’ of feeling connected to others.” Depression, suicidal thoughts, and a low tolerance for opioids are other side effects.

In recovery, there is a saying about HOW people quit abusing drugs and alcohol and learn to stay sober. Honesty, open-mindedness, and willingness are the three components it takes to build a foundation of recovery. First, it is the essential first step to get honest about your addiction. You have to be the one to realize that your inability to quit using drugs and drinking is a problem. You have to be the one to recognize that your life has become unmanageable and you have become powerless over drugs and alcohol. Admitting your powerlessness is taking your power back. If you aren’t honest with yourself about the extent of your drinking and drug use, you aren’t going to be able to get anything out of treatment, because you don’t think that you have a problem. If you don’t honestly believe you have a problem, you don’t honestly need a solution. You need open-mindedness to be open to the idea of having a problem. The people around you tell you that you have a problem. Friends, family members, coworkers, acquaintances, everyone you meet seems to have something to say about how out of control your drinking and drug use has gotten. When you open your mind to the idea that maybe everyone else is right, you can open your mind to ideas like sobriety and recovery. You can start to question your relationship to drugs and alcohol- is it something you need? Is it something you want? Is it something you would be willing to change? The last part of the equation is willingness. To be willing is to be “ready, eager, or prepared to do something.” Willingness doesn’t always come easily. Sometimes you have to wait for the willingness to be willing to even think about being open-minded to the idea of sobriety. Willingness takes courage. It is courageous to be willing to be honest, willing to be open-minded and willing to be willing to change your life mind, body, and spirit. Emotionally, mentally, psychologically, spiritually, this is what it takes to quit your addiction. Scientifically and physically, it takes more. It takes time and changes in habit to fully quit and addiction. The truth is, the minute you don’t pick up drugs and alcohol again- you quit. Every day thereafter that you don’t pick up drugs and alcohol again, you continue to quit. There are many tools and treatment methods which help you stay quiet, like therapy, nutrition, diet, exercise, meditation, social involvement, and being of service. All of these external activities are support for the internal ones taking place- the ongoing honesty, open-mindedness, and willingness.

Early recovery is not always easy. Even after taking time off from work to go to treatment, you will still be in need of an occasional mental health day from work. Taking a day off from work to take care of yourself is always okay and often necessary. Two Kinds Of Mental Health Days: Preventative And Emergency Sometimes it is easy to see the stormy weather coming in. All indicators point toward a necessary mental health day coming up, with plenty of warning. This is the need for a preventative mental health day. Other times, the storm hits without advanced notice. Even though the weather reports predicted sunshine, the sky is dark and gray. This is the need for an emergency mental health day. Each type of mental health day can be planned for differently and should be approached in different ways. Preventative Mental Health Day

Learning about your loved one’s mental health diagnosis is the best way to understand what they go through clinically, mentally, emotionally, psychologically, and even physically. There are different ways to research a diagnosis. First, you can look up the specific diagnosis in the Diagnostic And Statistical Manual Of Mental Disorders which is what diagnosing doctors use for the criteria to make an official diagnosis. You will learn what the requirements of the diagnosis are, which can help you understand how severe or not severe the diagnosis is. In addition, you can identify some of the symptoms you will need to learn to look out for. The next best place to learn about their diagnosis is through first hand accounts online. Today, mental health is a popular subject on many blogs and websites. Thankfully, a growing awareness about mental health disorders has encouraged others to speak up about their personal experiences, their struggles, their treatment, and their recovery. In addition, there are many spouses and partners who write about their experience supporting someone with a mental health disorder. Reading these accounts can give you insight, teach you where to draw healthy boundaries, and most importantly, how to take care of yourself in the process. Lastly, the best place to learn about your partner’s mental health diagnosis is from your partner. After doing research of your own, ask them if it is okay to ask them questions so you can gain a deeper understanding. Get their personal insight on their experience, what they need, what they go through, and what they are learning. If they are going to treatment, have an open conversation about how you can support them in the healthiest way. Being in a relationship with someone actively seeking treatment and therapy for a mental health disorder means learning to take care of your own mental health in the process. Learning to set healthy boundaries and practice effective communication will help maintain necessary balance and structure in your relationship. Together, counseling or therapy can help you learn more about each other’s needs and wants, while developing healthy tools for supporting one another. Seeking out a therapist or counselor of your own can help you work through any issues which might come up, which isn’t uncommon.

For many years borderline personality disorder was misdiagnosed and mistreated. As one of the most difficult personality disorders to diagnose, creating the right treatment plan for borderline can be challenging. However, recovery is possible. Today, there are proven treatment methods for: