Complex Cases of Addiction

Addiction is a complicated disease and complex cases are common.

Nearly everyone who suffers from a substance use disorder (SUD) also struggles with other mental health issues. Co-occurring conditions such as depression, anxiety, or trauma are often driving the misuse of drugs and alcohol. In other words, people in active addiction are self-medicating emotional pain with devastating consequences for themselves and their community.

Addiction affects all aspects of the patient’s life. It impairs relationships with family, friends, and colleagues. People with substance use disorders often face financial, legal and health problems related to the symptoms of their disease. The negative consequences of substance use usually exacerbate the underlying mental health issue, causing further anguish, and intensifying the addiction crisis for everybody involved. Many addiction professionals believe that addiction is a biopsychosocial phenomenon. That means biology, sociology, and psychology all play important roles in understanding addictive behavior.

Addiction treatment needs to tackle the disease in all its complexity to be successful. The Encore team addresses complex cases head-on. Our experienced clinicians expect to encounter complicated patient histories, often with undiagnosed mental health disorders that only emerge during treatment.

Drug and Alcohol Rehab in Arlington, Virginia

In order to provide individualized, medically and therapeutically appropriate treatment, patients and therapists have to explore the deeper reasons for the substance use. A careful assessment is critical in order to establish an understanding of the patient’s condition, possible traumatic experiences, previous treatment episodes, physical health, mental state, and other relevant factors.

Encore Outpatient Services in the DC metro area has extensive experience with complicated addiction cases and the evaluation process is one of the most important services Encore provides. The process is ongoing, continuing throughout treatment. That enables clinicians, patients, and families to monitor progress against treatment goals on a daily basis. With a complex assessment and individualized treatment strategy, even complex cases of addiction have a good chance of achieving sustained recovery.