Drug addiction is the result of changes in the functioning of brain. Dual diagnosis refers to any situation in which somebody suffers from a mental disorder and is dependent or addicted some sort of substane. In U.S.A. the term ‘dual diagnosis’ has a different significance and refers to any mental disorder plus some substance abuse. In Israel again dual diagnosis refers to a person who suffers from clinical disorders. The difference of this term is both these countries are based on economical reasons. Dual diagnosis treatment brings a difficult time.

Dual diagnosis program is defined by the presence of of both substance abuse disorders and mental health disorders. The symptoms of dual diagnosis patients can be different depending upon these symptoms. The ‘chicken and egg’ question is extremely important in dual diagnosis. When they are separate and independent, both of them, the mental illness and a chemical addiction problem requires addiction treatment. The interaction of these problems makes the treatment and recovery even more complex. Other names of dual diagnosis program are as follows: Co-morbid Disorders, Co-morbidity, Dual Disorders, Concurrent Disorders, Co-occuring Disorders. The reaons for dual diagnosis can be many:

• Difficullty in seperating the conducts because of the mental illness from those due to chemical dependency.
• Taking time for unraveling the interesting effects of substance abuse and mental illness.
• The individuals suffering from mental illness might abuse drugs or alcoholl covertly without the knowledge of their families, friends and relatives. Denial is an inherent part related with dual diagnosis.

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