In 1949, a movement started across the United States to help people recognize mental health problems in themselves and their loved ones. This movement is still going strong as Mental Health Awareness Month. Each May, this mental health observance helps remind people about available resources and support for mental health problems. It also brings light to co-occurring conditions of mental illness, such as addiction. By participating, individuals can find the necessary Houston addiction therapy services they need to treat both of these issues.
Why Recognize Mental Health Awareness Month?
People from coast to coast recognize Mental Health Awareness Month each May because it provides a great opportunity to educate the public about mental health conditions. It also enables open discussion about the realities of dealing with mental health disorders and ways to achieve better mental wellness.
One of the biggest aims of the month is suicide prevention. Many people suffering from untreated mental problems commit suicide each year. Many others self-medicate their problems using drugs or alcohol. Sadly, substance abuse also often leads to early death through overdose.
Because of the close ties between mental health problems and substance abuse, SAMHSA sponsors events and its own recognition of National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day in the same month. The goal of this day-long event is preventing substance abuse in young people, as well as for an improved understanding of children’s mental health problems.
The Close Relationship Between Mental Health and Addiction
About half of people suffering mental health problems also engage in substance abuse. The opposite is also true, with half of the people suffering in addiction also having mental health problems. This proves why mental health ties so closely to addiction treatment and prevention. For some people, hearing about Mental Health Awareness Month helps them realize they need treatment of their own.
For people needing help with these two conditions together, treatment takes place at the same time. A dual diagnosis treatment center Houston offers will provide this care. For real-life improvement and an end to substance abuse with mental health problems, therapies and other treatments in a dual diagnosis program prove effective.
These essential services and programs include:
- Medical detox
- Residential and intensive outpatient programs
- Individual counseling and psychotherapy
- CBT and EMDR therapy
- Family program
- Yoga and fitness
- 12 step recovery
These therapies and programs treat mental illness and substance use disorder. You also build the coping skills you need for relapse prevention.
Getting Dual Diagnosis Treatment for Yourself or Someone You Love
Finding quality dual diagnosis treatment for yourself or a loved one is not as difficult as it sounds, particularly in the Houston area. Serenity Light Recovery of Angleton, Texas provides the programs and therapies you need for recovery from both mental health and addiction problems.
Learn more about dual diagnosis treatment during this Mental Health Awareness Month. Whether you or someone you love ultimately needs therapy services and addiction recovery, talking about the problem is a big step forward toward treatment. Contact Serenity Light Recovery now at (281) 431-6700 for more information about treatment options.
As our CEO, Heather’s main calling is to stay true to the vision of the organization, which is saving lives and striving to redefine statistics by raising the standard of care with evolving treatment methods. Heather studied psychology at LSU and both the main and Clear Lake campuses of the University of Houston, and she is a certified IASIS provider and CPI instructor. She’s been helping people in recovery since 2011. Heather’s motto to live by is “I am not what I’ve done; I am what I’ve overcome.”
