
St. Alexius Behavioral and Mental Health Continuum – A Dual-Diagnostic Team
In previous years, and still today, an alcoholic was treated for alcoholism, a drug abuser was treated for a drug addiction and a bulimic was treated for bulimia. Yet in worse case
scenarios, following treatment, the alcoholic drank again, the drug abuser used again and
the bulimic purged again.
Lauree Hellman, an RN and BC Clinical Coordinator at St. Alexius Medical Center’s Partial Hospitalization Program, said one reason for treatment relapse is because the patient had more than just an addiction that needed to be addressed.
“There is usually a mental health disorder present in a substance abuser,” Hellman said. “If you think about the average alcoholic, you can usually depict signs of depression. So not only does this person have an addiction, but they have a mental health disorder as well.” This concept is called dual-diagnosis, and it is very common.
One aspect of dual-diagnosis is self-medication. Self-medicated drug abusers are people with phobias or disorders who turn to drug use in an attempt to
alleviate distress from their phobia or disorder.
“If a person has a social phobia, they may turn to drugs to help them open up and engage with society,” said Lynette Rasmusson, LSW, LAC, Partial Hospitalization Program.
Examples include physical abuse victims using drugs to get away from reality, or anorexics abusing drugs to lose weight. This creates a social phobic with a cocaine addiction, and an anorexic with a methamphetamine addiction.
“These patients need to be treated for both illnesses or they will probably relapse. With dual-diagnostic treatment, the drug addiction is cured as well as the mental disorder that may have lead to the addiction,” Rasmusson said.
Bev Walth, director of St. Alexius Social Work and Partial Hospitalization Program, said that St. Alexius Medical Center is the only dual-diagnostic treatment center in the region that combines five disciplines of treatment.
“The continuum offers occupational therapy, nursing, social work, psychiatry and addiction counseling within the same facility,” Walth said. “We are very fortunate to be able to offer these services for the community.”
St. Alexius Behavioral and Mental Health Services consists of Archway Mental Health Services, St. Alexius Partial Hospitalization Program and the St. Alexius In-Patient Psychiatric Center. For more information on St. Alexius Behavioral and Mental Health Services, call
530-7375.
