News / Health & Wellness
The Importance of Mental Health Screenings
Mental health screenings are an important part of treatment, allowing the experts to pinpoint any underlying issues that could undermine recovery success.
What does mental health have to do with addiction? Plenty. The recently released N-SSATS Report shows that mental health screening and assessments play a powerful role in treatment. The study, conducted by the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services, found that mental health screenings and assessments can be used in treatment facilities to identify clients who have been exposed to one or more traumatic events and who have problematic symptoms associated with such exposure.
Those practices are important because they uncover underlying mental health issues that can play a role in addiction and, if not dealt with, can hinder long-term recovery.
Mental Health Screenings
So how does it work? Screenings assist in identifying substance abuse clients that show signs of mental health problems by asking questions that elicit a “yes” or “no” response, while assessments define the nature of the mental health problem and gather more detailed information that may be used to develop treatment plans for clients with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse problems.
Despite the proven importance of treating mental health issues along with addiction, only 62 percent of the 13,513 treatment facilities that responded to N-SSATS said they provided brief mental health screenings for clients, while less than half provided full diagnostic mental health assessments. Of those who make use of these diagnostic tools, not all are following up with treatment. Approximately 21 percent of facilities in the N-SSATS study reported the use of trauma-related counseling "always or often."
“Treatment plans for clients with these co-occurring problems should address their substance abuse and incorporate evidenced-based interventions that aim to reduce the biological, psychological, and behavioral symptoms associated with trauma,” the report suggests.
That’s what we’re already doing at La Paloma, offering treatment that involves the whole person and not just the addiction, giving each individual the best chance of long-term recovery.
Dual Diagnosis Treatment at La Paloma
If you or someone you love is battling an addiction, call La Paloma at our toll-free number. Someone is there to take your call 24 hours a day and answer any questions you have about treatment, financing or insurance.
