Addiction Treatment in Los Angeles Psychology
The Mental Health Center at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Towers in Los Angeles is affiliated with addiction psychiatrists who create and implement comprehensive, individually tailored treatment plans for addiction treatment in Los Angeles. These plans are meticulously crafted to address the unique challenges and requirements of those dealing with benzo dependence.
The development of a personalized treatment plan starts with a comprehensive analysis of the particular nature of the addiction, including how long it has lasted and its overall impact on the individual's mental and physical health. This in-depth assessment is crucial for selecting the most fitting treatment approach, which could range from medical detoxification to outpatient detox options, depending on the severity of the addiction.
Following this assessment, the treatment strategy may include various personalized components. Options might cover inpatient treatment for intense cases, support through withdrawal medications, intensive outpatient programs for continuous support, medication management to handle cravings and any accompanying psychiatric conditions, sober living facilities, and various therapeutic interventions.
If you or someone you know is grappling with addiction and could benefit from individualized addiction treatment in Los Angeles, please reach out to the Mental Health Center in Los Angeles to arrange an assessment with an addiction psychiatrist.
Addiction Treatment in Los Angeles
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reports there is a substance abuse crisis happening here in Los Angeles. Alcohol addiction affects over seven percent of the residents in LA County. Opioids ranked second for most abused substances.
They report that heroin use has increased in LA and across the country. Out of all the people seeking treatment in LA, nearly 10,000 of them reported heroin as their primary drug of abuse. In the last few years, there have been around 500 overdose deaths on drugs of any kind, just in LA County.
Unfortunately, the ages of those addicted to substances range from pre-teens to the elderly, from those struggling with finances to the super-wealthy, from any race and background.
We have dedicated ourselves to creating addiction treatment programs to meet your needs, not the other way around.
The more you understand the dangers of addiction, the more you will appreciate the importance of addiction treatment.
Questions?
What is Addiction?
Our center focuses on treating addictions to substances like drugs and alcohol. However, a person can become addicted to just about anything. Knowing what is considered an addiction can help you determine if you need help.
Addiction is a brain disorder that causes a person to act compulsively in activities that provide a rewarding feeling. An addict will continue to engage in reward-seeking behaviors even if they are experiencing negative consequences like the loss of jobs, relationships, and often, the deterioration of their mental and physical health.
Signs and Symptoms of Addiction
There are some common signs and symptoms of addiction. When addicts try to stop using a drug or other substance, they experience withdrawal symptoms. Sweats, tremors, nausea, vomiting, flu-like symptoms, and intense cravings to continue using.
Many addicts have changed the people with whom they associate. All their new friends are drug users, dealers, or both. If they live in your home, you will likely find drugs and drug paraphernalia hidden throughout. These are the secret stashes addicts like to keep.
Emotional Symptoms
Emotional symptoms can include irritability, defensiveness, argumentative, rationalizing, or minimizing the severity of their addiction. An addict may also act silly or confused, as well as periods of depression and isolation.
Behavioral Symptoms
Behavioral symptoms are often the ones you cannot see because addicts are known to miss meetings, family gatherings, work, school, and other important events. Their absence is a sign they are heavy into their addiction.
If they show up at work, school, and family activities, it is hard for them to complete tasks. They don’t sleep well, if at all some nights. They have financial problems and may even steal or lie to get money to purchase drugs. Legal troubles can follow this type of behavior.
Physical Symptoms
Physical Symptoms can include dilated pupils, acting overly hyper or overly sedated, excessive sniffing or runny nose, weight changes, poor hygiene, and an overall lack of caring for how they appear. Depending on the drug, there may be damage to the skin, deteriorating teeth and gums, loss of hair, and abscesses.
You do not have to wait to get someone to help with their addiction. The first step in the process is an assessment.
Addiction Assessment
Treatment for successful addiction recovery combines multiple approaches that allow you to step down from intensive to less restrictive therapeutic stages.
Before we can create a treatment plan, we must determine the type of addictive disorder, how long you have been addicted, and the adverse effects your addiction has had both on your mental and physical health.
The answers to these questions can tell us if you need medical detoxification or detox on an outpatient basis. They can also help us decide if you would benefit from components like inpatient treatment, withdrawal medication assistance, intensive outpatient, anti-craving and psychiatric medication management, sober-living, or other therapeutic options.
Learn more about our evaluation and treatment plan process.
TREATMENT OPTIONS
Detoxification
Detoxification is the process of eliminating the toxic substances from your body. This must happen before you can continue with other treatment options. Upon detox, your mind becomes clear, allowing you to learn new skills that will help you remain sober.
Some choose outpatient detoxification. In this program, your withdrawal symptoms are significantly reduced with anti-craving medications administered by a medical professional. These can benefit anyone addicted to one or more substances.
Psychiatric Evaluation
Psychiatric Evaluation is needed because addiction and mental illness co-exist. Too often, addicts find themselves self-medicating their mental illness with substances. At the Mental Health Center, we evaluate your mental health and give you a proper diagnosis. When needed, we can prescribe psychiatric medication to manage and control depression, anxiety, bipolar, and other disorders.
Anti-Craving Medication
Anti-Craving Medication is used to help you maintain long-term sobriety. We use the medicine Vivitrol due to its success in helping prevent relapse. Naltrexone is an opiate blocker. Meaning, it prevents receptors in your brain from feeling the effects of opiates.
There are pill forms of naltrexone that must be taken each day orally. While many addicts follow doctor instructions on using pill forms, others choose to trade them for their drug of choice or sell them for money. Thus, compromising their sobriety.
We use Vivitrol with our patients because it comes in a once-monthly injection form, administered by our psychiatrists in our office. If a person chooses to relapse on opioids or alcohol throughout the month, they will not become intoxicated. Vivitrol creates a barrier in the brain, preventing it from feeling the pleasurable effects of alcohol and opiates.
Resource Referrals
Resource Referrals are an essential part of your treatment. While we do not provide an all-inclusive treatment program, we are experts in referring you to local programs that can offer you additional therapies. For example, if you need sober living, there are quality sober homes right here in LA.
Intensive outpatient, individual and group therapy, faith-based, long-term residential, partial hospitalization, and support group programs are a few examples of outside resources we can include in your treatment plan.
Our goal is simple, create a treatment plan that will help you succeed. We can help you overcome your addiction.