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Dual Diagnosis Treatment at Meridian Recovery Center

When someone is living with both a substance abuse disorder and a mental illness, seeking out integrated treatment that addresses both is essential. The connection between these two conditions is well established. For example, many people suffering from depression will use drugs or alcohol to self-medicate. Those suffering from substance addiction will frequently exhibit symptoms of depression or anxiety as a consequence of that substance use.

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What We Treat

At Meridian Recovery in Sewell, New Jersey, we provide in-depth integrated dual diagnosis treatment programs for people suffering from an addiction and a mental health condition. Our approach to treatment is to treat both conditions together to give our clients the best outcome for long-term recovery.

Anxiety

Anxiety is one of the most common co-occurring conditions in people suffering from substance addiction. Our dual diagnosis program provides clients with a safe and supportive treatment environment that addresses the root causes of anxiety and the use of substances in a variety of evidence-based therapies. In doing so, clients can learn how to create a drug- and alcohol-free life.

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Bipolar Disorder

Co-occurring conditions of bipolar disorder and substance addiction are very common. Many people who suffer from bipolar disorder will use alcohol or drugs to regulate their mood, but when the substances wear off, symptoms can return stronger as a result. If you suffer from both a substance use disorder and bipolar disorder, our dual diagnosis treatment program can help you stabilize your mood and identify and develop coping strategies to learn how to live without the use of drugs and alcohol.

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Depression

Depression is one of the most prominent causes of self-medication with substances and is often experienced in conjunction with an alcohol or drug addiction. Our dual diagnosis program treats co-occurring depression and substance use disorder through various forms of individual and group therapies in addition to utilizing medication to improve or restore a person’s emotional well-being while achieving sobriety.

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Borderline Personality Disorder

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) often co-occurs with substance use, as individuals may use drugs or alcohol to cope with intense emotions, impulsivity, or relationship instability. This combination can increase the risk of relapse and emotional distress, making integrated treatment essential to address both the mental health condition and substance use simultaneously.

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PTSD

Substance abuse is often directly related to trauma, as people often turn to alcohol or drugs as a means of coping with the symptoms. Unfortunately, people suffering from both PTSD and substance use disorders have more difficulty achieving long-term recovery than people with a substance use disorder alone. Our dual diagnosis program incorporates trauma-informed care to treat both PTSD and addiction.

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Schizophrenia

Substance abuse and schizophrenia require a coordinated mental health treatment plan with dedicated psychiatric care. Our team of clinical and psychiatric professionals works collaboratively to provide an integrated treatment plan that addresses both substance use disorders and schizophrenia with facilitated medication management and help with developing the structures and skills necessary to achieve a meaningful recovery.

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ADHD

People living with ADHD tend to have much higher rates of suggested drug and alcohol misuse than the general population. Our dual diagnosis program provides a variety of programs, including therapy, skill development, and medication management, to help improve the focus, structure, and coping strategies of people with an addiction and ADHD.

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OCD

Obsessive-compulsive disorder can create a cycle of reinforcing behaviors that can be broken only through an integrated treatment plan. Our dual diagnosis program provides a range of integrated evidence-based therapies that will support the person suffering from OCD and substance use to develop a foundation for long-term sobriety and recovery.

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What Is Dual Diagnosis Treatment?

Dual diagnosis treatment, also called co-occurring disorder treatment, is an integrated approach in providing care that deals with mental health and substance use disorder together, in the same program, by the same provider.[1] This is different from sequential treatment, where one condition is treated and then the other after treatment for the first is complete, and parallel treatment, which addresses both conditions at the same time, but separately and without a central communication mechanism enabling coordination.

The integrated treatment model is the standard of care for co-occurring disorders. Research repeatedly indicates that treatment of both conditions together produces much more favorable results than treating either condition by itself, with regard to relapse rates, mental health outcomes, and quality of life.[2] Integrated Dual Diagnosis Treatment has widespread support from SAMHSA, NIDA, and the larger clinical research community due to its proven effectiveness.

Why Co-Occurring Disorders Must Be Treated Together

There is a bidirectional and complex relationship between mental and substance use disorders. For example, some people develop a substance abuse problem often as a direct result of their untreated or under-treated mental health symptoms.[3] Examples are: using alcohol to handle symptoms of anxiety, using opioids to dull symptoms of depression, using stimulants to treat focus deficits associated with undiagnosed ADHD.

In other cases, ongoing substance abuse can also lead to or worsen mental health symptoms, creating previously unrecognized conditions, producing symptoms that may not have arisen otherwise.[4] 

The two disorders also contribute to each other’s effects on the person, making it much harder to recover when only one disorder is treated at a time.[5] Someone could receive very effective addiction treatment; however, if they leave that program with untreated depression, they are much more likely to relapse as compared to someone who has had their depression treated during their addiction recovery program. The same would be true if a person engaged in mental health treatment, but their substance use disorder was left untreated.

Our Approach to Dual Diagnosis Treatment in New Jersey

People often use physical dependence and addiction interchangeably, but it is important to understand that they are not the same thing.[5]

Physical dependence is when the brain and the body adapt to the presence of a substance. If the person stops using or reduces the use of that substance, it produces uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms. This can happen with any type of substance: illegal drugs, prescription drugs, or painkillers, even when used as directed by a doctor.

Addiction, as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), goes further than physical dependence. Someone addicted to a substance will use it compulsively, lose control, and continue to use it despite any negative consequences. They may feel that they will not be able to cope with their daily routine without that substance. 

Someone can be physically dependent on a substance without being addicted to it, but most people with addiction also have a physical dependence on the substance they are using. Both dependence and addiction should be addressed to achieve effective treatment results.

Our Approach to Dual Diagnosis Treatment in New Jersey

Meridian Recovery carries out dual diagnosis treatment for both mental health and substance use at three levels of outpatient care: partial hospitalization (PHP), intensive outpatient (IOP), and standard outpatient care. Each level of care uses the same integrated treatment approach, with the only difference being the intensity and frequency of the programming at each level, which is tailored to meet the client’s clinical needs.

Our dual diagnosis treatment programs draw from a range of evidence-based therapies and approaches, including:

Individual Therapy

Client-specific one-on-one sessions providing space to explore personal history, trauma, and co-occurring disorders of mental health and substance abuse.

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Group Therapy

Therapeutic peer support in a structured manner, which builds community, combats isolation, and reinforces information learned in individual therapy.

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Family Therapy

Like mental health disorders, substance use disorders affect the entire family system. Family therapy helps mend family relationships and prepares family members to support the person recovering from co-occurring disorders in a healthy and informed manner.

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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Useful in providing cognitive skills and behavioral strategies to address the relationship between mental health and substance use; assisting in developing practical coping skills for managing triggers, cravings, and emotional distress.

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Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)

Particularly effective for people who have difficulty regulating emotions; also for people who have personality disorders, people who have experienced trauma, and for people with co-occurring disorders of anxiety or depression. DBT teaches skills in four areas: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness.

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Trauma-informed Care

Because trauma is often a strong contributor to mental health and substance use issues, all clinical programming at Meridian Recovery incorporates trauma-informed care principles.

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Medication Management

Meridian Recovery provides medical management for mental health issues like anxiety and depression. Clients can receive ongoing medical management through a psychotherapist, nurse practitioner, psychiatrist, or psychologist as part of their individualized care.

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Relapse Prevention

To help prevent relapse, clients develop individualized relapse prevention plans, which include ways of identifying triggers for relapse, managing those triggers, and utilizing support when needed.

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Holistic Therapies

Such as yoga, art therapy, and music therapy, complement clinical treatment by helping clients achieve overall wellness, relieve stress, and express their feelings and emotions, all of which are essential in recovery for dual diagnosis clients.

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Aftercare

An important aspect of recovery is aftercare; we work with clients to develop aftercare plans that include support groups, community resources, and ongoing mental health treatment, as needed.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Dual Diagnosis Treatment in New Jersey

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What is dual diagnosis treatment, and who needs it?

Dual Diagnosis Treatment is a comprehensive clinical approach that addresses both a Mental Health Disorder and a Substance Use Disorder simultaneously. Anyone who has both of these co-occurring disorders can benefit from dual diagnosis treatment, regardless of which disorder was diagnosed first. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), there are over 9 million ‘dual diagnosis’ adults in the United States. Integrated treatment will achieve better outcomes than treating either disorder individually.

Does Meridian Recovery treat mental health conditions independently?

Meridian Recovery provides treatment for mental health issues only in the context of dual diagnosis care, meaning that clients’ mental health issues are treated through the lens of also having an accompanying substance use disorder. We do not provide stand-alone mental health treatment to people who do not have a co-occurring substance use disorder.

What mental health conditions are treated at Meridian Recovery?

Our dual diagnosis program treats a variety of co-occurring mental health disorders, including anxiety disorders, depression, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), borderline personality disorder, schizophrenia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), alongside substance use disorders.

How is dual diagnosis treatment different from standard addiction treatment?

Standard substance abuse treatment focuses on helping clients stop using by working on issues related to patterns of use and the biological effects of dependence. Dual diagnosis treatment goes beyond the focus on substance use patterns by providing clients with a psychiatric evaluation and ongoing mental health care as part of their treatment process. In dual diagnosis treatment, you will be provided with the same clinical programming and support for the treatment of your mental health issues while continuing your substance abuse treatment.

Sources

[1] [3] [4] National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2024, January). Common comorbidities with substance use disorders research report. https://nida.nih.gov/publications/research-reports/common-comorbidities-substance-use-disorders/introduction

[2] Managing Life with Co-Occurring Disorders. (2026, April 8). SAMHSA. https://www.samhsa.gov/mental-health/serious-mental-illness/co-occurring-disorders

[5] Dual diagnosis. (2025, November 7). Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24426-dual-diagnosis