Paradigm Malibu Announces Increased Focus on Relapse Treatments For Teens
Malibu, California (PRWEB) February 19, 2014 -- Industry statistics indicate as many as 90 percent of those trying to remain sober or drug-free have at least one relapse before achieving lasting sobriety. With this critical state in mind, Cole Rucker, spokesperson for Paradigm Malibu has announced a teen relapse emphasis in place for all their treatment programs. Says Rucker, "Unfortunately, one of the difficult things about treating substance abuse is teens often don’t succeed on their first attempt. It’s not unusual at all for it to take multiple tries for a person to get sober, and even then, the challenge doesn’t always go away."
Rucker explains further, saying, "What so many treatment centers do is treat the problem at hand, the addiction. However, almost 60% of people who have mental illnesses, such as bipolar, depression, or an eating disorder, also suffer from substance abuse. In situations such as these, teen co-occurring disorder treatment becomes necessary. It's an ongoing chicken or the egg debate as to whether the mental illness or the substance abuse came first. However, once a person has both, the important issue is not necessarily identifying how the onset occurred, but simply making sure both are treated. Sometimes, in identifying and seeking to treat one disorder, symptoms of another co-occurring disorder are overlooked. This is obviously problematic and makes recovery even harder for the person, especially with regard to possible relapse, as their issues weren’t comprehensively addressed."
Parents often question which disorder should be addressed first. Rucker explains it's an individual, case by case decision. "Depending on how severe each condition is and the specific drugs involved, the order of priority may differ. It’s important to first make sure the teenager is physically stable and provide oversight and care for any possible withdrawal symptoms or challenges that may occur. From here, treatment essentially follows the general protocol for each individual disorder, while the therapists maintains careful sensitivity and awareness that both disorders are present."
Rucker concludes, "Often teens view their relapse as a failure, but we want to emphasize, that's not the case. It's so important for teens to be willing to get help in order to address the relapse. This can often involve a battle, because people who abuse substances tend to argue that they have it under control. However, once they agree to seek teen treatment, there are a number of powerful resources available to help overcome their addiction to the substance and gain control of their lives."
About Paradigm Malibu:
Paradigm Malibu is dedicated to identifying, understanding, and properly treating the core issues impacting adolescents and their families. Rather than merely containing behaviors, the staff of mental health professionals is committed to assisting young people by addressing the deeper, more difficult issues impacting their lives. Paradigm is ranked the #1 treatment program for Adolescent Mental Health, Teen Addiction, Teen Drug Abuse, and Teen Eating Disorders more often than any other program. Learn more about Paradigm Malibu at http://paradigmmalibu.com.
Cole Rucker, Paradigm Malibu, http://paradigmmalibu.com, 855 780 8336, [email protected]
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