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CO-OCCURRING DISORDERS
Call (800)227-3953

"Co-Occurring" is a term that refers to the presence of one or more addiction problems that are complicated by a co-existing psychiatric disorder, such as major depression.

People who have a co-occurring diagnoses represent a challenge to professionals working in the chemical dependency and mental health treatment fields. These patients frequently utilize services from both fields and are often shuttled back and forth between numerous treatment systems. They are prone to relapse and are often the most difficult patients to treat effectively because of their many problems.

Single-focus treatment systems provide fragmented care to dually disabled patients. Another complicating factor is the insistence by some alcoholism treatment centers that patients abstain from all medications. The mentally ill patient who has been prescribed psychotropic medications may have serious difficulties in a treatment program that does not allow the use of such medications.

These patients require the comprehensive, multidisciplinary Rimrock Foundation treatment approach that recognizes their special needs and provides integrated treatment for the multiple problems identified.

A Special Program

Rimrock Foundation meets the needs of these patients and their families with our state-of-the-art biopsychosocial assessment and treatment approaches.

The essential teamwork and close collaboration among multidisciplinary professionals is standard at Rimrock Foundation. Our team of caring professionals, supervised by qualified psychiatrists, includes: psychologists, psychiatric social workers, registered nurses, and certified addiction counselors who are familiar with the assessment and treatment issues of co-occurring patients.

Patients' private psychiatrists are invited to become consulting members of the team.

Assessment of clients referred to the co-occurring program draws upon this psychiatric, psychological, and substance abuse expertise in an ongoing process that guides both therapeutic intervention and case management over the course of treatment. Each discipline contributes to the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment planning process.

Treatment Components

Treatment for patients with co-occurring diagnoses is offered on both an intensive outpatient and inpatient basis, depending upon the severity of the problem and other criteria.

Rimrock Foundation provides a setting where people can begin to take control of their lives in an atmosphere that supports and protects the fundamental human and legal rights of each patient, including rights to personal privacy and confidentiality, and rights to respectful and considerate care.

The Family Program

When a loved one is chemically dependent and has a co-existing psychiatric disorder, their behavior changes. To accommodate these changes in the addict, each family member changes his or her own behavior. Unfortunately, however, the accommodations and changes do not help, and family members feel confused, fearful, inadequate, unworthy and ashamed.

The Foundation helped pioneer the concept of family treatment because of our belief that addiction involves the entire family; each member suffers with the dependent person, and requires special care and attention. Our intensive family week program is designed to help each family member discover new, healthy ways to cope with life and recovery.

Diagnostic Evaluation

If you are not sure what the problem is, you may request a confidential outpatient assessment by calling (406) 248-3175 or toll free 1-800-227-3953. Based on the assessment results, we will refer you to the appropriate services.

Psychiatric Disorders

The following are some common Psychiatric Disorders often found in combination with an addiction:

Fact Sheets & Infofax

Learn more about the newest technologies for prevention and treatment approaches in reducing the devastating health and societal effects of addiction by reading one of our many Fact Sheets.

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Read the latest scientific research on addiction in our Infofax section.

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