Dual Diagnosis · Southern Maine
When addiction and mental health feed each other
Most people who struggle with substances are also carrying depression, anxiety, trauma, or PTSD. Treating one while ignoring the other is why so many recoveries don't stick. Dual diagnosis care treats both, at the same time, under one roof in Biddeford.
Psychiatric oversight · MaineCare accepted · Answered 24/7
Accredited & Licensed
LegitScript Certified
Joint Commission Accredited
Maine DHHS Licensed
Psychology Today Verified
The cycle
Why treating only one never works
It usually starts innocently. A drink to quiet the anxiety before a shift at the shipyard. A pill to sleep through the nightmares. Something to feel anything through the depression, or nothing at all. For a while, it works.
Then the substance starts making the symptoms worse, the symptoms drive more use, and the loop tightens. By the time most people reach us, they can't tell where the mental health struggle ends and the addiction begins. That's not a failure, it's the nature of co-occurring disorders.
National survey data from SAMHSA estimates that roughly 21 million U.S. adults live with both a substance use disorder and a mental illness. You are in large company, and this is a well-studied problem with a well-studied answer: integrated treatment that addresses both conditions together, from one coordinated team.
Medically reviewed
Benjamin Crocker, MD
Psychiatrist · Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Tufts University School of Medicine · MD, The Ohio State University · Residency & fellowship training at the University of Michigan and LAC+USC Medical Center
Last reviewed August 2026. Read our editorial standards & clinical review process
Co-occurring conditions we treat
The other half of the picture
Depression
Alcohol and drugs often start as self-medication for persistent low mood, then deepen it. We treat the depression alongside the use, with therapy and psychiatric medication management when indicated.
Anxiety & panic
Benzodiazepines and alcohol quiet anxiety short-term and amplify it long-term. We teach regulation skills that work without substances, and we never leave you white-knuckling through it.
PTSD & trauma
Unresolved trauma is one of the most common roots of addiction. Our trauma-informed clinicians pace the work safely, stabilization first, processing when you're ready.
Bipolar & mood disorders
Mood instability and substance use interact dangerously. Psychiatric oversight and mood stabilization are coordinated directly with your addiction treatment plan.
ADHD
Stimulant misuse and undiagnosed or untreated ADHD often travel together. We assess carefully and treat both, including non-stimulant options where appropriate.
Grief & loss
Loss that was numbed instead of mourned stays stuck. We help you finally grieve, without the substance that kept the feelings at bay.
Integrated care
One team. One plan. Both conditions.
Psychiatric care
Psychiatric evaluation and medication management are built into your program, not referred out to a provider you'll wait months to see. Your prescriber and your therapist talk to each other here.
Evidence-based therapy
CBT, DBT, individual and group therapy target the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors driving both conditions at once, the definition of integrated dual diagnosis care.
Flexible intensity
Dual diagnosis support runs through every level of care we offer, PHP, IOP, and outpatient, so treatment matches how acute things are, and steps down as you stabilize.
Insurance
In-network with almost every plan.
Portland Treatment is in-network with Anthem, UMR/UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Harvard Pilgrim, Martin's Point, TRICARE and MaineCare, Cigna is our only out-of-network plan. In-network means contracted rates, lower coinsurance and no balance bill. We verify your benefits free, in minutes, with no obligation.
Free, confidential, no obligation
Or read the coverage guide for your plan, Anthem rehab coverage, Cigna rehab coverage, MaineCare rehab coverage and other accepted insurance plans.
Questions
Dual diagnosis, answered
What is dual diagnosis treatment?+
Dual diagnosis (also called co-occurring disorders) treatment addresses a substance use disorder and a mental health condition, like depression, anxiety, PTSD, or bipolar disorder, at the same time, with one coordinated plan. Treating only one condition at a time leads to far worse outcomes.
Do I need a mental health diagnosis to start?+
No. Many clients arrive knowing something is wrong but without a formal diagnosis. A psychiatric evaluation is part of your assessment here, and any diagnosis is made by our medical team as treatment unfolds.
Can you prescribe medication for depression or anxiety?+
Yes. Psychiatric medication management is part of dual diagnosis care at Portland Treatment, coordinated with your therapy. We are careful and conservative with medications that carry misuse potential, especially for clients with substance use histories.
Is dual diagnosis treatment covered by MaineCare or insurance?+
Yes. MaineCare and most commercial plans cover integrated treatment for co-occurring disorders. We verify your benefits free of charge, with no obligation, call 855-449-7674 or verify online.
Where do you offer dual diagnosis treatment?+
At our outpatient center in Biddeford, Maine, serving Portland, Saco, Old Orchard Beach, South Portland, Scarborough, Westbrook, Kennebunk, Sanford, and the rest of York and Cumberland County.
Keep exploring
Related care at Portland Treatment
Levels of care
- Partial hospitalization program (PHP) in Biddeford
Our most structured day treatment, five days a week, home each night.
- Intensive outpatient program (IOP) in Southern Maine
Nine-plus clinical hours a week with day and evening tracks.
- Virtual IOP for anywhere in Maine
The same IOP curriculum by secure telehealth, statewide.
- Outpatient program (OP) for ongoing recovery
One to two sessions a week that fit around work and family.
How we treat
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
Practical tools for the thoughts that drive use and relapse.
- Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
Distress tolerance and emotion regulation skills that hold up.
- Individual therapy in Biddeford
One-on-one counseling with the same clinician each week.
- Group therapy sessions
Small clinician-led groups with people in the same fight.
Where we serve
- Addiction treatment in Biddeford, Maine
Our home clinic, in the mill district off Route 111.
- Addiction treatment for Portland, Maine
A 20-minute drive down I-95 from the Portland peninsula.
- Addiction treatment for Saco, Maine
Minutes across the river from our Biddeford clinic.
- All Southern Maine areas we serve
Every city and town within driving distance of Biddeford.
You've been treating half the problem.
Let's treat all of it, together.
855-449-7674Answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Free and confidential.