Treatment centers follow various therapeutic styles to effectively meet the needs of their patients. The River Source is pleased to offer integrative care to address patient needs. There is a strong link between mental illness and substance abuse, and the integrative care model successfully addresses two or more disorders at one time.

Let’s learn more about the integrative care model and why this might be the best form of treatment for yourself or a loved one.

What is Integrative Treatment?

The integrative approach meets the needs of people with two or more mental health conditions, such as bipolar depression and substance use disorder. When treating a patient for substance abuse, a treatment center will look at the bigger picture, not just the immediate issue.

Let’s say that you are seeking treatment for your 20-year-old son. Your child may be suffering from addiction, but he is not the addiction. There are other parts to your son. He may suffer from depression, have trouble making friends or have abuse in the past. All of these parts make a difference when putting together a personalized care plan and delivering treatment.

It’s not just weaknesses that we focus on but also strengths. Natural skills and abilities can be implemented into your son’s treatment plan to give him confidence and help him recover from his addiction. Maybe your son does well at school, excels in a sport or has a natural talent for art. A successful treatment plan could include sober activities such as wellness or painting.

What are the Pros and Cons to Integrative Care?

Integrative treatment is an effective approach to treating co-occurring disorders. Mental illness and substance abuse go hand-in-hand, so it’s very common for patients to have both disorders when entering a treatment center. If one of the conditions is not treated or is given a contradictory type of treatment, it’s possible that the patient’s symptoms will not improve.

The benefits of integrative treatment are:

• Coordinated treatment for multiple conditions

• No separation between mental health and addiction treatment

• All health professionals work together

• Reduced risk of hospitalization

• Improved quality of life

• More progress made in a shorter period of time

Integrative care has no limitations. It can be used to treat any patient with multiple mental health conditions. The only limitation is when a patient is at a facility for a short time. The integrative care model is most effective when the appropriate time is given to address both the addiction and the mental illness.

If you are interested in learning more about the integrative approach to treating addiction, call The River Source.