When you’re managing a mental health concern and a substance use issue at the same time, finding care that addresses both can seem like a lot to sort through on your own. You might have tried treatment for one condition before, only to find the other kept getting in the way. That’s a common experience, and it’s exactly why dual diagnosis care exists.

Dual diagnosis, also known as a co-occurring disorder, refers to the presence of both a mental health and a substance use disorder simultaneously. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, many people with substance use disorders also experience other mental health concerns, such as depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder, and people with mental health concerns are at a higher risk of developing substance use issues.

These two conditions often feed into each other. A person may use alcohol or drugs to cope with mental health symptoms. Substance use can also worsen those symptoms over time. This back-and-forth pattern is one reason dual diagnosis can be hard to manage without specialized support.

Lincoln Trail Behavioral Health System treats adults with co-occurring mental health and substance use conditions together, not separately. Our dual diagnosis care includes Adult Inpatient Dual Diagnosis Services and two outpatient options: Adult Dual Diagnosis IOP and Adult Dual Diagnosis PHP. This approach can help you build a more lasting foundation for recovery, one that accounts for how these conditions interact and affect your daily life.

Treating only one condition at a time rarely leads to lasting results when both are present. If a substance use issue goes unaddressed, it can undo the progress made in mental health treatment, and the reverse is true as well.

Adults facing dual diagnosis often deal with added layers of difficulty, including:

• Overlapping symptoms: Mental health issues and substance use can look alike. One can also hide the other, which makes it harder to tell what is going on.
• Higher risk of relapse: Without treating both conditions together, symptoms can trigger a setback in the other.
• Strained relationships: Family members and loved ones may not understand how the two conditions are connected. This can add to feelings of isolation.

This is a common part of what makes dual diagnosis hard to face alone, but it doesn’t mean lasting recovery is out of reach. Integrated treatment, where both conditions are addressed side by side, gives you a more complete path forward.

Lincoln Trail Behavioral Health System built its Adult Inpatient Dual Diagnosis Services around a simple idea: care should meet you where you are and adjust as your needs change. Living with a mental health concern and a substance use issue simultaneously can seem like a lot to carry.

The team works with you to understand how both conditions affect your daily life. Together, you can build a personalized care plan that reflects your history, your goals and the pace that feels right for you.

The program also supports a leading-edge level of care, allowing patients to move from inpatient treatment into an Adult Dual Diagnosis Intensive Outpatient Program or Adult Dual Diagnosis Partial Hospitalization as they stabilize. Here’s how each step can fit into your recovery:

• Inpatient care: Around-the-clock support in a structured setting, where you can focus on stabilizing both conditions with clinical oversight.
• Partial hospitalization: Several hours of treatment each day while you return home in the evenings. This step can help you practice new skills in daily life, while still having strong support.
• Intensive outpatient: Treatment a few days a week that can fit around work, school or family responsibilities. It offers ongoing structure as you build confidence.

This structure means you don’t have to start over with a new provider each time your needs shift. Your care can stay connected from one step to the next, so you can keep moving forward with people who already know your story. Together, you and the team can decide what comes next.

Lincoln Trail’s Adult Dual Diagnosis Services use a mix of treatment modalities to address the different sides of recovery, including:

• Medical detox: Medically supervised withdrawal management to help you get through the physical process of detox with clinical oversight.
• Individual therapy: One-on-one counseling focused on your personal history, triggers and goals.
• Group therapy: Structured sessions with peers facing similar challenges, offering shared learning and a sense of connection.
• Family therapy: Sessions that help repair relationships and build a support system around you outside of treatment.
• Activity therapy: Skill-building and wellness activities that support emotion regulation and healthy routines.
• Nursing education: Guidance on managing your health and building sustainable self-care habits.
• 12-step education: Support connecting to established, evidence-based recovery programs.

Together, these modalities are meant to address both the mental health and substance use sides of dual diagnosis, rather than treating them as separate issues.

As you stabilize, Lincoln Trail’s continuum of care allows you to step down into a less intensive level of treatment. Two outpatient options are available for adults with dual diagnosis:

• Adult Dual Diagnosis Partial Hospitalization Program: Meets Monday through Friday from 8:45 a.m. to 2:50 p.m. A PHP offers a higher level of daily structure, which can help during periods of crisis stabilization.
• Adult Dual Diagnosis Intensive Outpatient Program: Meets Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. An IOP provides ongoing support with a lower time commitment, which can work well as you continue to manage work, school or family responsibilities.

Choosing between the two often depends on how much daily support you need right now and what your schedule can realistically hold. A member of the team at Lincoln Trail Behavioral Health System can help you determine which option fits your circumstances.

Discharge planning at Lincoln Trail begins the moment you’re admitted, not as an afterthought near the end of treatment. The goal is to help you move toward a less restrictive, less intensive level of care as you’re ready for it.

Because Lincoln Trail offers a continuum of care, patients can move between inpatient treatment, PHP, and IOP. All care stays within the same system. This can make the process feel more connected and less like starting over at every stage.

Living with both a mental health concern and a substance use issue can feel like managing two issues that keep circling back to each other. But with integrated, specialized treatment, that cycle doesn’t have to continue indefinitely.

Lincoln Trail Behavioral Health System’s Adult Inpatient Dual Diagnosis Program offers 24/7 structured inpatient care. It helps stabilize adults with both a mental health condition and a substance use issue.

The inpatient setting means a multidisciplinary team stays with you at every step. They follow an individualized treatment plan that addresses both conditions together. Once you’ve reached a point of greater stability, step-down options like a PHP or an IOP can help you continue to build on that progress.

Whether you’re just beginning to look into treatment, or ready to take the next step, a Level-of-Care Assessment can help point you toward the right level of care. Contact us at 800-274-7374 or online by completing a contact form.

What is dual diagnosis treatment?
Dual diagnosis treatment addresses a mental health concern and a substance use issue at the same time, rather than treating each one separately. This integrated approach can lead to more lasting stability than treating only one condition.

How long does adult diagnosis treatment take?
Treatment length depends on your individualized care plan and how you respond to treatment. Because Lincoln Trail Behavioral Health System offers a continuum of care, you may move between inpatient treatment, a PHP and an IOP as your needs change.

What’s the difference between an IOP and a PHP for adult dual diagnosis?
A PHP meets five days a week for close to six hours a day, offering a higher level of daily structure. An IOP meets four days a week for about three and a half hours, offering ongoing support with more flexibility for work or school.

Who is adult dual diagnosis treatment for?
This program is designed for adults facing both a mental health concern and a substance use issue simultaneously. If you’re unsure whether this applies to you, a Level-of-Care Assessment can help clarify what type of care fits your situation.