What is the percentage of dual diagnosis?

With continued research from various groups associated with mental health, it becomes more and more prevalent that mental health difficulties are often accompanied by substance abuse disorders. By some estimations, about 50% of the people with substance abuse disorders also have some form of mental health difficulty, whether it has been diagnosed or not. Commonly, depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia are part of a dual diagnosis.

Are there risk factors that increase the likelihood of a dual diagnosis?

It is widely believed that mental health difficulties and substance abuse disorders can both become more likely due to genetic predispositions. If someone else in your family, especially a parent, has received a dual diagnosis, then you might be at a higher risk of one, too. Stress and emotional trauma are also identified factors that can increase someone’s risk of developing a mental health difficulty or becoming dependent on a substance.

Can all recovery clinics adequately help people with a dual diagnosis?

No, most addiction recovery clinics are not properly equipped to best support and care for someone with a dual diagnosis. Medical equipment and specialized therapies are often required to care for dual diagnosis patients because they will have unique needs based on their mental health difficulties and how it has played into or been impacted by their substance addiction. A recovery center that only utilizes holistic therapies or various forms of counseling can be helpful for many people struggling with addiction, but it might be unable to do much for dual diagnosis patients. Recovery centers with medical detox capabilities are usually a better fit.

Is it more difficult to achieve sobriety if you have a dual diagnosis?

Your ability to achieve and maintain sobriety depends on factors that are entirely unique to you, so it is not easy to say if the presence of a mental health difficulty will make things more challenging or not. For some people, they can feel like their path to sobriety is rockier due to their mental health difficulty complicating their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. For others, gaining an understanding of their mental health difficulty can be the “missing piece” that unlocks the path to a faster, lasting recovery.

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Dual Diagnosis Treatment in Georgia

Mount Sinai Wellness Center treats addiction and mental health together, in one residential program, on 43 acres in Dahlonega. Most people who call us are not facing one problem. They are facing drinking or drug use that grew out of anxiety, depression, or something painful from years back. 

If past treatment did not hold, this is usually why: the substance use got treated, but the condition driving it did not.

What Dual Diagnosis Means

A dual diagnosis, also called a co-occurring disorder, means someone has both a substance use disorder and a mental health condition. Treating the two separately tends to leave people cycling between services instead of getting better. 

The conditions often feed each other. Alcohol quiets anxiety for a few hours, then worsens it the next day. Stimulants lift a low mood, then flatten it further once they wear off. Opioids numb trauma symptoms until the body builds tolerance. Treating only the substance leaves the underlying cause untouched. 

Real co-occurring disorder treatment means one clinical team, one assessment, and one plan, with therapy that addresses both conditions in the same session rather than referring you elsewhere for the mental health side. 

The older model is sequential: get sober first, deal with mental health later. Many people never get past step one, because the symptoms they had been managing with a substance come back with nothing in their place.

Signs You May Need Dual Diagnosis Care

No at-home test will accurately assess this, but some signs definitely indicate a problem.

You started drinking or using to sleep, calm anxiety, or stop thinking about something painful.
Past mental health treatment did not stick, or you stopped medication because it did not seem to work alongside drinking.
You completed rehab or medical detox before and relapsed within weeks or months of going home.
Stopping substance use brings a sharp rise in anxiety, low mood, or intrusive memories.
A doctor or therapist mentioned both problems but only treated one.

If two or more of these sound familiar, an integrated assessment is worth having. It does not commit you to admission.

What We Treat Alongside Addiction

Anxiety and Addiction

Panic symptoms, constant worry, and social anxiety often sit underneath alcohol, benzodiazepine, and cannabis use. Our team separates withdrawal-driven anxiety from a true anxiety disorder, which takes time and medical observation to tell apart. Therapy focuses on riding out anxious feelings without a substance and fixing the sleep and routine problems that keep anxiety going.

Depression and Addiction

Depression can come before substance use, after it, or both. Staff track mood across your entire stay, not just at intake, because early sobriety changes the picture. Individual therapy, group work, and medication management, when appropriate, all happen inside the residential program. Nothing is outsourced.

Trauma, PTSD and Addiction

Many people arrive without ever linking their substance use to something that happened to them. We treat trauma and PTSD alongside addiction using evidence-based methods, at each person’s own pace. Trauma work never starts early in a stay. Stabilizing comes first.  

How Dual Diagnosis Treatment Works at Mount Sinai

Integrated Assessment

Day one includes a medical exam and a psychological assessment. We review current medications, withdrawal risk, and physical health, while the clinical team screens for co-occurring conditions.

One Plan, Not Two

We devise a single treatment plan covering both conditions: therapy schedule, medical care, and any medication decisions. The plan is reviewed as your stay progresses.

Daily Therapy

Individual and group therapy run every weekday. We use evidence-based approaches, including cognitive-behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy skills, where clinically indicated.

Medical Support Around the Clock

Nurses staff the campus 24 hours a day, and the Medical Director oversees every medication decision. Psychiatric medication is used only when clinically appropriate and reviewed regularly.

Family Involvement

With your consent, we bring families into treatment because a co-occurring condition affects the whole household, not just the person using.

Planning for After

Discharge planning starts early and includes aftercare and alumni support, so mental health and addiction treatment continues after your stay ends.

Licensed Treatment Staff

Dual diagnosis rehab in Georgia is only as strong as the people running it. Our clinical team is led by a Medical Director, supported by licensed treatment staff and a Director of Nursing.

Our Campus in Dahlonega

Treatment takes place on 43 wooded acres in the North Georgia mountains, about an hour from Atlanta, easily reached from Atlanta, Gainesville, and Cumming. Rooms are semi-private, and meals are prepared by our culinary team. The quiet setting gives anxiety, depression, and sleep a real chance to stabilize, away from familiar triggers. 

Mount Sinai Wellness Center holds accreditation from The Joint Commission and certification from LegitScript.

Verify Your Insurance in Minutes

Most major insurance plans cover some level of dual diagnosis treatment, though the details depend on your specific plan. Send your information through our insurance verification form, and we will tell you what is covered. It is confidential and comes with no obligation.

Dual Diagnosis FAQs

Does Insurance Cover Dual Diagnosis Treatment, and What Does It Cost?

Coverage depends on your plan. Most major insurers cover residential treatment for co-occurring disorders at some level, and mental health parity rules generally require behavioral health benefits to match medical benefits. Rather than quote a figure that may not apply to you, we verify your actual benefits before you commit. Call (800) 353-4673 or use the insurance verification form.

How Long Is Dual Diagnosis Treatment?

Most people stay 30 to 90 days. Co-occurring conditions usually need more time than substance use alone, since psychiatric medication takes weeks to properly assess, and early sobriety changes how mood and anxiety present. A clinician sets and reviews your length of stay as you progress.

Can Depression and Alcohol Use Be Treated at the Same Time?

Yes, and treating them together is the point of this program. Alcohol is a depressant, so mood is tracked over time rather than at intake alone, once its effects have cleared. One plan covers both conditions.

Which Insurance Carriers Do You Accept?

We work with many major insurance providers. The fastest way to find out about your plan is to verify online or call (800) 353-4673.

Do I Need a Mental Health Diagnosis Before I Come?

No. Many people arrive with no diagnosis at all and only learn during assessment that what they had been managing with alcohol or drugs has a name.

What Conditions Do You Treat Alongside Addiction?

Anxiety disorders, depression, post-traumatic stress, and other conditions identified during assessment. If assessment turns up a need outside our clinical scope, we say so and help arrange care elsewhere.

Can My Family Be Involved?

Yes, with your consent. Family participation is built into the program, including structured contact and education about co-occurring conditions.

What Makes Dual Diagnosis Treatment More Likely to Work?

Research points to a few consistent factors: integrated treatment of both conditions, an adequate length of stay, medication management where indicated, and continued support after discharge. No program can guarantee an outcome, but we can commit to treating both conditions together, by one team, from day one.

What Our Alumni Say

“I'm beyond grateful that I found MS.”

Mount Sinai changed my life for the better. I was in a spot that I couldn’t find my way out of and this place gave my life a new meaning. I’m beyond grateful that I found MS. Everyone who was working there, showed great empathy and kindness, especially Marshall. I could’t have asked for a better experience

K.S.

“They offer A lot of different pathways to recovery and do some great activities.”

Absolutely amazing facility! They offer a lot of different pathways to recovery and do some great activities. I was definitely impressed! Thank you Lake!

C.D.