A subspeciality within psychiatry, addiction psychiatry concerns addiction-related disorders. It focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of substance abuse, along with mental health problems that accompany substance abuse, like depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder.
It involves evaluating patients' medical history, diagnosing psychiatric diseases, assessing their lifestyle, interpreting laboratory tests, and outlining a comprehensive treatment plan to effectively handle substance abuse and other mental health problems related to it.
Benefits of seeking addiction psychiatry:
A drug addiction psychiatrist will give you a new perspective on life. They will implement various treatments and therapy sessions that will help you live a sober and healthy life. Addiction psychiatry will help patients identify any behavior, thoughts, or habits that trigger their indulgence in addiction. The drug addiction psychiatrist will help change the harmful patterns by using therapy. The therapy sessions will allow the patient to learn about new approaches to deal with triggers.
A psychiatrist for addiction will teach patients about various coping strategies by helping them understand their behaviors and triggers that lead to drug use. The coping strategies will help them resist any compulsions that lead to a relapse. The coping mechanisms depend on each patient and the severity of their condition.
Drug addiction can cause shame and helplessness in people, and they will feel like they have no one to turn to because they fear being judged and ridiculed. Once the patient signs up for professional help, a psychiatrist for addiction counseling will provide support and a constant connection. The psychiatrist will make you feel that you are not alone in the recovery process and you are cared for.
Relapse prevention:
Relapse is when a patient succumbs to their urges to use the substance again. A drug addiction psychiatrist will help prevent relapse by offering necessary advice on staying sober and leading a drug-free life.
Advice on sustaining positive relationships:
Drug addiction is not only harmful to the addict but also to their family and friends. It can destroy relationships with loved ones, and this is where a psychiatrist for addiction will provide you with advice on repairing broken relationships. They also help you create new and healthy connections with loved ones.
Healthy and positive relationships are important for successful recovery because they help the patient feel loved and supported, which will encourage them to go further in their path to sobriety.
Our psychiatrists have mastered this relatively new field of psychiatry and have been treating the dual diagnosis issues that come along with addiction problems efficiently. This is because often addiction is followed by mental disorders such as affective disorders, mood imbalances, and the likes. The doctors alienate these dual problems for each individual and treat them separately.
Psychiatric and psychological interventions in the form of medicines, psychotherapy, and counseling are provided to help the addicts. External help in the form of groups such as Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholic Anonymous is also recommended. Here, a 12-step program is taken up which usually consists of the following:
Apart from this, our experienced psychiatrists, follow and practice the right pharmacological methods, ensuring that the right medicines are administered to individuals suffering from addiction for a speedy recovery.
Cadabam's Hospitals is one of the most trusted mental health care and psycho-social rehabilitation centers. Offering comprehensive and tailored solutions under a single roof, our multi-specialty team of experts works together to ensure patients’ better mental health and general well-being. We have over three decades of experience. Our personalized and evidence-based approach has enabled us to write countless incredible stories of helping people live a healthier and happier life.
If you're dealing with addiction problems, connect with us today and take confident strides towards a better life. Reach out to us @+91 9741476476.
It is a branch of psychiatry that deals with addiction and addiction-related mental health problems. It covers addiction to drugs, alcohol, prescription medicines, and other substances.
Addiction psychiatry involves diagnosing psychiatric diseases, evaluating patients’ medical condition, and providing a thorough substance abuse treatment plan that can include medicines, talk therapy, and more.
Anyone who’s addicted to illegal drugs, alcohol, and tobacco must opt for addiction psychiatry. Substance abuse, if repeated, can change how the brain functions. Immediate treatment is often essential to mitigate any long-term effects.
Millions of people around the world benefit from addiction psychiatry. It helps them beat their addiction and become healthier (both physically and mentally). If you have a substance use disorder, getting help from the right addiction psychiatrist will definitely help you.
The primary objective of addiction psychiatry is to end patients’ addiction. But this is done in a more holistic way that leaves patients with a range of other long-term benefits, including better physical health, improved relationships, and better mood. So, if you’re struggling with addictions, a good expert by your side can enable you with many wholesome benefits.
Depending on individual cases, the treatment plan varies. Different patients have different severity levels. So, there’s no definite timeframe as to when one can see the desired result. Some may see improvements in just a few weeks, while others can take months. An expert can do a proper diagnosis and give you a more objective answer to this.
Dr Priya Raghavan
MBBS, MRCP (UK), CCT
Consultant Psychiatrist
Dr Arun Kumar
Psychiatry
Dr Raja Mahabaleshwar Hiremani
MBBS, M.D. (Psychiatry), NIMHANS, FRANZCP (AUS)
Consultant Psychiatrist
Dr Anitha Bharathan
M.Sc (Psychology), M.Phil Psychology, Phd in Psycho-oncology
Consultant Clinical Psychologist
Dr Madhukar BR
MBBS, DPM (NIMHANS), DPM (IRELAND), DPM (UK)
Medical Director & Consultant Psychiatrist
Overcoming an addiction to alcohol can be a long and bumpy road. If you are willing to get the support you need and ready to stop drinking you can recover from alcoholism no matter how bad the addiction is or how powerless you feel. Most people with alcohol problems do not decide to make a big change out of the blue or transform their drinking habits overnight. However, once you have made the decision to change, the next step is to seek help as some people can stop drinking on their own while others need medical supervision in order to withdraw from alcohol safely and comfortably.
There’s no magic bullet or single treatment that works for everyone. Everyone’s needs are different, so it’s important that you find a program that is right for you. Alcohol addiction treatment program should be customized to your unique problems and situation.
