Dual diagnosis basically means treating two or more coexisting conditions together. When the dual diagnosis approach is used for substance abuse treatment, it means that one of the coexisting conditions is the person's chemical dependency. The other condition might be a physical or a mental illness that interferes with the substance abuse treatment. A problem such as depression can very well interfere with the addiction recovery of he person. When a person is depressed, there is a higher tendency in them of consuming intoxicating substances. This habit might grow to such an extent that these two situations might become inseparable. When that happens, the person will find it very difficult to come out of the dependency.

When a person is put through dual diagnosis for substance abuse treatment in North Dakota, the intention is to remove both of these conditions simultaneously. That becomes necessary because even if one of these conditions is left to remain within the person, it will influence the recovery of the other condition. This is especially true of mental conditions, because they will not allow the person to generate the determination that is necessary for them to come out of their addiction.

The most common mental illnesses that are tackled during dual diagnosis addiction treatment in North Dakota include depression, anxiety disorder, panic disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, etc. In addition, some chronic physical conditions are also looked into, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular problems, etc. A person who is put through dual diagnosis in a rehab center in North Dakota will find their treatment program longer than normal, because they have to go through a recovery process for two coexisting disorders.