When Substance Abuse and Eating Disorders Co-OccurArticles>Eating DisordersBy The RanchMay 31, 2015Eating disorders alone are serious illnesses, but when they co-occur with substance abuse, the stakes are raised even higher. Research tells us that close to half of the people struggling with an eating disorder are also abusing substances. This is a rate of substance abuse that is about five times higher than in the general…
Which Came First, Depression or Alcoholism?Articles>Addiction ResearchBy The RanchOctober 20, 2014In our society, it is commonly accepted for people to turn to alcohol when they are feeling down. In the movies and on TV, the hero or heroine is often portrayed drowning his or her sorrows at the local bar after losing a job, getting a divorce or experiencing another major disappointment.
The Link Between PTSD and AlcoholismArticles>Trauma and PTSDBy The RanchOctober 7, 2014Post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, is a serious mental illness that typically develops after a traumatic or terrifying event. Much attention has been brought to the disease by the fact that many military men and women returning from Afghanistan and Iraq have struggled with PTSD. These people, and others with the disorder, are also more…
How Much Do Addiction, Other Forms of Mental Illness and Psychological Trauma Overlap?Articles>Addiction ResearchBy The RanchSeptember 20, 2014An addiction to drugs or alcohol is acknowledged by the American Psychiatric Association as part of a larger diagnosable mental illness known as substance use disorder. In many cases, people who qualify for a substance use disorder diagnosis also qualify for a diagnosis of at least one other form of mental illness. Psychological trauma resulting…
Tackling Alcohol, Trauma Problems at the Same Time Can be BeneficialArticles>Addiction ResearchBy The RanchSeptember 4, 2014Some mental health problems tend to show up together. For example, it is not uncommon for people dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to also struggle with substance abuse. Alcoholism is a problem for around 30 percent of people with PTSD. Dealing with both problems at the same time has been considered risky because the…
ECT Reduces Mortality in Patients with PTSD and Major DepressionArticles>Trauma and PTSDBy The RanchAugust 15, 2014Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a serious and complex anxiety disorder that can affect anyone who experiences or even witnesses a traumatizing event. Major depressive disorder (MDD) is exactly what it sounds like – more than mild depression, it is long-term depression that interferes with a person’s ability to carry on a normal life. When…
Study Takes New Look at Alcohol and DepressionArticles>Dual DiagnosisBy The RanchDecember 19, 2013The link between alcohol and depression has long been known, but there has been much disagreement about whether alcoholism causes depression or vice-versa. The relationship between the two is alluded to by several facts, including that around one third of people who suffer from major depression also have a problem with alcoholism and that teens…
The Ranch Treatment Center Opens New House with Intensive Focus on Dialectical Behavior TherapyArticles>NewsBy The RanchSeptember 19, 2013The Ranch opens Mill House, a 14-bed southern mansion for women with co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse that provides intensive education and training in dialectical behavior therapy. Nunnelly, TN (PRWEB) August 27, 2013 – The Ranch treatment center opens Mill House, a brand new 14-bed facility for women with co-occurring mental illness and/or substance…
Ending the Nightmare of Post-Traumatic Stress DisorderArticles>Dual DiagnosisBy The RanchJuly 24, 2013The symptoms of PTSD are painful and terrifying. Whether the original traumatic event was a single horrible incident (a natural disaster or a car accident, for example) or a daily life colored by chronic trauma (domestic violence or living in a war zone), when a person develops PTSD, the suffering is profound. Medications may be…
ERP Therapy: Simultaneous Treatment for Eating Disorders, OCDArticles>Dual DiagnosisBy The RanchJuly 22, 2013Roughly 11 percent to 13 percent of people who receive a diagnosis for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) also meet the diagnostic criteria for an eating disorder such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa or binge-eating disorder. According to the results of a study published in 2013 in the journal Cognitive Behavior Therapy, people simultaneously affected by an…
