Dual Disorder

The term dual disorders or dual diagnoses refers to cases in which the individual has both a substance abuse disorder (also referred to as chemical dependency or addiction) and a coexisting psychiatric illness such as depression, schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, social phobia, and other illness.  The symptoms of one condition may mask or aggravate the symptoms of the other. It is possible for people to have more than two disorders. Having a dual diagnosis can make treatment in a drug rehab more difficult and demands a level of competence from the staff.