Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Archives | The Ranch

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a complex psychiatric condition that co-occurring substance abuse and other mental health disorders can intensify. The added challenges of addiction and other mental illness may worsen BPD symptoms or the symptoms of the co-occurring disorder. 

When deciding on the right mental health treatment center for co-occurring disorders, there are several key elements you should look for. Make sure you are giving yourself the best chance for success by finding a mental health treatment center with these important elements.  Qualified Staff Members A co-occurring disorder occurs when an individual suffers from a mental health condition and a substance use […]

The chemical in alcohol that gets you drunk is ethanol, also known as ethyl alcohol or EtOH. This chemical is a depressant, but it has a very intoxicating effect. EtOH can be highly addictive both physically and psychologically. When a doctor refers to EtOH withdrawal, he or she is talking about the unpleasant symptoms that arise when a person who is addicted to alcohol abruptly stops drinking. Once you have become physically dependent […]

When withdrawing from alcohol, some addicted users experience severe symptoms such as seizures and delirium tremens (the DTs). The potential for these problems makes alcohol detox more dangerous than most other forms of detox. If you develop seizures during alcohol withdrawal, your doctor will likely treat this complication with a medication called a benzodiazepine. These medications have […]

Psychosis is the term used to describe two major disruptions in mental health — hallucinations and delusional thinking — that seriously interfere with the ability to stay grounded in reality. Most people probably associate these disruptions with the mental illness schizophrenia. However, significant numbers of people with bipolar disorder also develop psychosis symptoms. Without knowing […]

By Ginger Poag, MSW, LCSW, Trauma Therapist at The Ranch  I am passionate about EMDR therapy, also known as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, because I have so often seen it change people’s lives. Many people I see at The Ranch have never heard about this trauma therapy and are naturally skeptical. They don’t think it’s going to […]

Treatment-resistant depression (also called treatment-refractory depression) is a thoroughly researched topic and widely recognized clinical challenge. In many cases, mood-stabilizing medication can help control the symptoms of depression, although first-line treatments are often ineffective. Less than 40% of individuals achieve remission with the first treatment administered and often many different medications and approaches are tried […]

Whether by choice or by force, a substance abuse evaluation is one of the first steps in addiction treatment. There are four goals of a drug and alcohol abuse assessment: Determine the types of substances abused Determine the severity of substance abuse Assess co-occurring mental health disorders Make a treatment recommendation, if necessary During a […]

Marijuana use during pregnancy is on the rise. Recent research analyzed medical questionnaires of 279,457 pregnant women and found pot use increased from 4.2% to 7.1% over an eight-year period. That’s just the people who admitted it. Researchers believe many women don’t own up to marijuana use during pregnancy for fear of being reported to […]

Drink, drank or drunk – whatever state of imbibing you’re in, the way you metabolize alcohol has an impact. From genes that affect alcohol metabolism from that first sip of wine to metabolic processes that contribute to that nasty hangover, alcohol’s journey through your body is complex. When you drink alcohol, you lose 2 to […]