Encino · San Fernando Valley · Los Angeles
Co-occurring depression is major depressive disorder that sits alongside a substance use disorder, each condition deepening the other. New Spirit Recovery provides depression and substance abuse treatment in Los Angeles as integrated dual-diagnosis care. We admit adults whose depression accompanies a substance use disorder.
New Spirit Recovery helped me when I was detoxing hard for about a week. The staff were kind to me the whole time. When I thought about leaving early, they helped me slow down and choose recovery instead. By discharge I was grateful I stayed, and Iâm doing better now.
New Spirit Recovery has changed my whole life. They gave me a second chance to rewire my life and live a new one. The staff is caring and genuine, and the director and operations director guided me through the program. They set me up for success and I canât thank them enough for saving my life.
New Spirit Recovery was beneficial to my recovery. Here I learned tools to help me manage my emotions safely, journaling and breathing have been amazing tools I picked up while here. All the staff were incredible and patient. I am grateful to have come here and actually use the tools suggested.
This program teaches you how to set realistic goals and become a better version of yourself, with all the tools to start building a new foundation. The therapist and case manager give each client an individualized, tailor-made treatment plan. Serene surroundings, a private chef, daily groups, and weekend outings.
The staff is amazing. I was completely unable to detox on my own and find the right path. The food and facilities were amazing, and I found my way again. My mom and I go to church together again now. Thank you all so much.
CA DHCS licensed treatment · most admissions within 24–48 hours
Not sure where you stand?
Signs of co-occurring depression and addiction include a low mood that holds most of the day for two weeks or longer, losing interest in what used to matter, drinking or using to lift that mood, and feeling flatter in the days afterward. Sleep, appetite, and concentration shift alongside the substance use. Our dual diagnosis program treats both conditions in a single plan rather than one after the other.
Depression and substance use produce overlapping symptoms, so telling them apart from the inside is genuinely difficult. Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant, withdrawal flattens mood on its own, and a stimulant comedown mimics a depressive episode closely enough that people often mistake one for the other.
This self-check mirrors what our clinicians ask at intake: how long the low mood has lasted, whether it lifts during periods without substances, and whether the two have begun shaping each other. Answer the six questions, then talk the result through with our team.
This 6-question self-check is a private screening tool, not a diagnosis. It runs entirely in your browser and nothing is saved or sent. A clinician confirms what it means. If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org now.
Ten minutes, a few questions, and a real answer about your coverage. Someone picks up at any hour, including this one. You do not have to work out which condition came first.
How the two lock together
Depression and substance use reinforce each other through a loop: low mood drives use, the substance lifts mood briefly, and the rebound lands lower than the starting point. Alcohol and opioids depress the central nervous system directly, while stimulant comedowns strip mood and energy. Each cycle deepens the other condition.
Depression arrives first for many people. A drink quiets the self-criticism, a stimulant restores energy that vanished months ago, an opioid dulls the weight of it. The relief is real, which is exactly what makes this stage so persuasive. Clinicians call this self-medication, and it rarely feels like a decision at the time.
Alcohol and opioids suppress central nervous system activity, so the hours after use return a flatter mood than the one you began with. Stimulant comedowns do the same through depleted dopamine. Sleep fragments, appetite shifts, and the next low arrives deeper. The substance that relieved the depression is now producing it.
By this stage each condition supplies the other with fuel. Withdrawal from work, friends, and anything that once counted as pleasure removes the supports that hold mood up, while the isolation makes using easier. Treating only the substance use leaves the depression intact, and it pulls people back. This is why relapse is so common after single-condition treatment.
Early abstinence produces low mood, poor sleep, no appetite, and no interest in anything. Those are also the criteria for a depressive episode, which is why a diagnosis made in the first days of detox is unreliable. Our clinicians assess mood across the stay, once the substance is out, to establish what is withdrawal and what is a depressive disorder that needs its own treatment.
Depression raises suicide risk, and that risk rises again during early withdrawal. If you are thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org, any time. Support is available in Spanish and via ASL. Call 911 if you are in immediate danger.
Why people choose this one
A depression diagnosis made during active use or the first days of detox is unreliable. Our medical director and nurse practitioner track mood across the stay, so treatment responds to what is actually there rather than to withdrawal.
Cognitive behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy are delivered daily here, not offered as a referral. Evidence-based therapy targets the anxiety directly, so sobriety is not the only thing holding the improvement in place.
Jobs, custody hearings, probation officers, FMLA paperwork, a flight from another state. We handle that coordination as part of treatment, because depression makes exactly this kind of admin feel impossible.
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The path through
Co-occurring depression and addiction are treated with integrated dual-diagnosis care: medical detox where withdrawal needs supervision, then residential therapy combining cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and acceptance and commitment therapy with psychiatric medication management. Both conditions are treated at the same time, by one team.
| Level of care | Medical oversight | Typical length | Best when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical DetoxStart here | 24-hour nursing, physician oversight | 7–10 days, extending to 21 where medically necessary | Withdrawal from alcohol or benzodiazepines needs medical management |
| Residential Treatment | On-site clinical staff, physician oversight | Often part of a ~35-day course | Medically stable, with the anxiety disorder treated alongside the use |
| Step-down (PHP / IOP / OP) | Scheduled clinical contact | Varies by plan | Returning to daily life while anxiety treatment continues |
We deliver medical detox and residential treatment at our own facilities. Step-down care is arranged through a vetted network we coordinate on your behalf. As a dual diagnosis rehab center in Los Angeles, we keep the same clinical team with you from intake through discharge planning, so nobody has to re-explain their history.
Small enough to know your name
Co-Founder
Author and recovery specialist. Created the Rewired curriculum, ten modules that run here and nowhere else.
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Clinical Director
Licensed since 2018, dual mental-health and substance-use background. Oversees clinical programming across all properties. Twenty-four years in recovery himself.
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Director of Nursing
A Licensed Vocational Nurse since 2020 with extensive behavioral health and substance use experience across detox and residential settings
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Clinical Psychologist
Clinical supervisor and a professor at California Lutheran University. Works across sites on crisis management and treatment planning.
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Program Director
Directs day-to-day operations and client care. Seven-plus years in the industry, five in management.
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Operations Director
Handles the logistics that make admission possible, including travel and transport from LAX or Burbank.
Read full bioThe question everyone asks first
What you pay depends on your plan: your benefits, deductible, copay, and coinsurance. Most PPO plans cover dual-diagnosis treatment for depression and a substance use disorder when it is medically necessary. Anyone quoting a price before reading your policy is guessing.
Coverage varies more than people expect, and is routinely better than assumed. We check your benefits for free and tell you exactly what we find, whether or not you come here.
We do not accept Medicaid, Medi-Cal, or Medicare. Cash pay is available; ask an admissions counselor what that looks like.
Veterans: we hold a VACCN/TriWest contract. Mention it when you call. Verify insurance.
Real people, real recovery stories
Reviews published by clients and families on Google, where our average is 4.8 out of 5.
These are unpaid reviews posted publicly on Google by individual clients and families. They describe those people’s own experiences, which vary; they are not a promise of any particular outcome, and no one was compensated for them.
Looking for depression rehab near you?
Our depression and addiction treatment program runs from Encino, with additional residences in Tarzana and Northridge. We admit from across the Valley, greater Los Angeles, and nationwide.
Common questions
Addiction and mental illness share genetic risk, brain reward circuitry, and environmental triggers such as trauma. Each condition worsens the course of the other, and treating only one leaves the untreated condition driving relapse. Integrated dual-diagnosis treatment addresses both at the same time.
Depression and anxiety often precede substance use, because alcohol and other drugs relieve both briefly. That relief reverses as the substance clears, returning a lower mood and sharper anxiety. Repeated cycles deepen all three conditions, so they are treated together rather than in sequence.
Common co-occurring conditions include major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and borderline personality disorder. New Spirit Recovery treats these conditions when they accompany a substance use disorder, as part of dual-diagnosis care rather than standalone psychiatric treatment.
Depression is not addictive, because it is a mood disorder rather than a substance or a behavior. What becomes compulsive is the coping response: drinking, using, or withdrawing to manage the low mood. That pattern is what develops into a substance use disorder.
Yes, in a specific sense. Alcohol, opioids, and stimulant withdrawal produce depressive symptoms directly. DSM-5-TR calls this substance-induced depressive disorder, distinguished from major depressive disorder by whether the low mood persists once the substance has fully cleared.
Severe depression involves persistent low mood, loss of interest in nearly everything, marked sleep and appetite change, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, feelings of worthlessness, and thoughts of death or suicide. If you are having those thoughts, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org now.
People do use alcohol to cope with depression, and it works briefly. Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant, so mood settles below its starting point as it clears. Regular use deepens depression, fragments sleep, and raises suicide risk.
Depression and substance abuse treatment is integrated care for both conditions at once. It combines medical detox where withdrawal needs supervision, psychiatric assessment and medication management, and therapies including CBT, DBT, and ACT. New Spirit Recovery delivers this as residential dual-diagnosis care.
Most major PPO plans cover dual-diagnosis treatment for depression and a substance use disorder when it is medically necessary. Cost depends on your benefits, deductible, and coinsurance. We verify your coverage free. We do not accept Medicaid, Medi-Cal, or Medicare.
