What does co-occurring or dual diagnosis mean?

It means having a mental health condition (depression, anxiety, trauma, or bipolar disorder) and a substance use disorder at the same time. About half the adults we see have this pattern.

Why treat both at once instead of one and then the other?

Integrated treatment — one team, one plan — outperforms sequential or parallel treatment across most measured outcomes. Coordinating two separate sets of providers and treatment plans rarely works.

Do I need to detox first?

If you need medically supervised withdrawal, we refer you to a detox partner first and welcome you back for outpatient continuing care. We are not a medical detox.

Is this a 12-step program?

No. We respect 12-step support and refer people to it when it fits, but our program is clinically focused on treating both conditions together.

Will the same team handle both my mental health and substance use?

Yes. One clinical team treats both halves of the picture with a single coordinated plan and shared group rooms, so you never have to translate between two providers.

Condition

Co-occurring mental health and substance use

Name: Manifest Behavioral Health
Address: 23297 S Pointe Dr, Laguna Hills, CA, 92653, US
Telephone: (949) 735-5705

When a mental health condition and a substance use pattern travel together, treating them separately rarely works. We treat them together — one team, one plan, one set of group rooms — so you don't have to translate between two providers.

Call (949) 735-5705

A wooden boardwalk path and a sandy path merging together by green beach grass, with a calm ocean in the distance

Editor's note: This page is awaiting clinical review by our Medical Director. Information is sourced from established peer-reviewed clinical literature.

Last updated: May 27, 2026

Key takeaways

Roughly half of adults with a substance use disorder also have a co-occurring mental health condition, and vice versa.
Integrated dual-diagnosis treatment outperforms sequential or parallel treatment across most measured outcomes.
We are not a medical detox; if you need supervised withdrawal we refer you to a detox partner first.
Both conditions are treated together by one clinical team — not handed off between mental-health and substance-use silos.

What 'co-occurring' actually means

Sometimes called "dual diagnosis," co-occurring disorder means having both a mental health condition (depression, anxiety, trauma, bipolar) and a substance use disorder at the same time. The two conditions often started in some order — anxiety led to drinking, or sustained drinking made depression worse — and now they reinforce each other.

Roughly half the adults who come to us have a co-occurring pattern. It is the rule, not the exception.^[1]

Why integrated treatment matters

The historical pattern is: mental health here, substance use over there. That requires you to coordinate two separate sets of providers, hold two treatment plans, and translate between them. It rarely works.^[2]

Integrated treatment means:

One clinical team that knows about both halves of the picture.
Group rooms where you don't have to pretend half of what's going on isn't happening.
Medication decisions made by a prescriber who understands how substance use is influencing your symptoms.
A single treatment plan that addresses both, in the right sequence.

In crisis? Call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, 24/7) or 911 for an emergency.

How we approach the work

Stabilization first — sleep, withdrawal management (we refer to detox if you need medical withdrawal), safety, daily structure.
Skills-based work in group — CBT and DBT skills that apply to both conditions.
Trauma work when ready — many co-occurring patterns trace to unprocessed trauma; we treat that on a stabilized foundation.
Family work — relational patterns are usually part of the picture.
Continuity into aftercare — co-occurring recovery is a long arc; we plan accordingly.

What we are not

Not a detox. If you need medically supervised withdrawal from alcohol, benzodiazepines, or opioids, we refer you to an appropriate detox partner first.
Not a 12-step program. We respect 12-step support and refer people to it when it fits; we are clinically focused.

Levels of care

PHP — common starting point post-detox or when both conditions are highly active.
IOP — for sustained, structured continuing care.
Virtual IOP — California residents.
Aftercare — long-term continuity.

Frequently asked questions

What does co-occurring or dual diagnosis mean?
It means having a mental health condition (depression, anxiety, trauma, or bipolar disorder) and a substance use disorder at the same time. About half the adults we see have this pattern.
Why treat both at once instead of one and then the other?
Integrated treatment — one team, one plan — outperforms sequential or parallel treatment across most measured outcomes. Coordinating two separate sets of providers and treatment plans rarely works.
Do I need to detox first?
If you need medically supervised withdrawal, we refer you to a detox partner first and welcome you back for outpatient continuing care. We are not a medical detox.
Is this a 12-step program?
No. We respect 12-step support and refer people to it when it fits, but our program is clinically focused on treating both conditions together.
Will the same team handle both my mental health and substance use?
Yes. One clinical team treats both halves of the picture with a single coordinated plan and shared group rooms, so you never have to translate between two providers.

References

[1] SAMHSA. "2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health" — co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorder data. Source
[2] SAMHSA Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) 42: "Substance Use Disorder Treatment for People With Co-Occurring Disorders" (Updated 2020). Source