Dr. Tim O’Connor, MD
Psychiatrist
Dual Diagnosis Treatment Centers in North Carolina
Longer Appointments. Better Care.
Integrated Mental Health and Addiction Treatment
In-Network with Insurance
Immediate Appointments Available
When a mental health condition and a substance use disorder are both present, treating only one of them rarely works.
At AIM, we specialize in dual diagnosis treatment for adults across North Carolina. We offer integrated care that brings together psychiatry, therapy, and structured programs including IOP and PHP — all within the same system of care to best meet all your needs.
Dual Diagnosis Help in North Carolina
We provide dual diagnosis treatment for adults across North Carolina, with in-person offices in three Triangle locations and Telehealth available statewide.
Dual Diagnosis Treatment in Raleigh
Our Raleigh office is the hub of AIM’s dual diagnosis and co-occurring disorder care — offering the full range of treatment including individual therapy, psychiatry, medication management, and structured programs including our Intensive Outpatient Program and Partial Hospitalization Program.
Dual Diagnosis Treatment in Chapel Hill
Our Chapel Hill office offers psychiatric evaluation, medication management, and therapy for adults dealing with co-occurring mental health and substance use conditions. When a higher level of care is needed, our IOP and PHP programs are accessible through our Raleigh location within the same system.
Dual Diagnosis Treatment in Cary
Our Cary office provides outpatient dual diagnosis treatment for adults — with the same integrated model of psychiatry and therapy available at all three locations.
What Is a Dual Diagnosis Disorder?
A dual diagnosis — also called a co-occurring disorder — is when a person is living with both a mental health condition and a substance use disorder at the same time. This is more common than most people realize. The majority of people who struggle with addiction also have an underlying mental health condition. And many people with untreated mental health conditions turn to alcohol or substances to manage symptoms they do not yet have a name for.
Common Co-Occurring Disorders:
- Depression and alcohol use disorder
- Anxiety and substance use disorder
- PTSD and addiction
- Bipolar disorder and substance use
- ADHD and substance use disorder
- OCD and alcohol or substance use
The relationship between the two conditions is not coincidental. Mental health conditions and substance use disorders share underlying neurological vulnerabilities, and each one makes the other worse.
Treating addiction without addressing the mental health condition that is driving it is one of the most common reasons people cycle through treatment without achieving lasting recovery.
Signs and Symptoms of a Dual Diagnosis Disorder
Dual diagnosis conditions can be difficult to recognize because the symptoms of mental health disorders and substance use disorders often overlap — and each one can mask or amplify the other. Some signs that both may be present include:
- Using alcohol or substances to manage anxiety, low mood, intrusive thoughts, or emotional pain
- Mood or mental health symptoms that persist even during periods of sobriety
- Mental health symptoms that worsen significantly when substance use increases
- A history of mental health treatment that has not produced lasting results
- A history of addiction treatment that has not produced lasting results
- Cycles of improvement followed by relapse that seem tied to emotional state
- Difficulty functioning at work, in relationships, or in daily life due to the combined weight of both conditions
- Withdrawal symptoms that are difficult to distinguish from underlying mental health symptoms
If any of this resonates, a thorough dual diagnosis evaluation is the right starting point. Understanding what is actually driving the symptoms — and how the two conditions are interacting — is what makes it possible to build a treatment plan that actually holds.
How Is a Dual Diagnosis Disorder Treated?
Effective dual diagnosis treatment addresses both conditions simultaneously — not sequentially. Treating addiction first and mental health later, or vice versa, is an outdated model that produces poorer outcomes. At AIM, we build integrated treatment plans from the start.
Psychiatric Evaluation and Medication Management
A comprehensive psychiatric evaluation is the foundation of dual diagnosis treatment. Understanding the full picture — what mental health conditions are present, how long they have been present, how substance use has affected them, and what treatments have been tried — is what allows your provider to build a plan that actually fits.
Medication management for dual diagnosis requires clinical precision. Some medications interact with substances or have misuse potential. Others are specifically indicated for co-occurring conditions. Our psychiatric providers have experience navigating these decisions and managing medications in coordination with the therapy team throughout.
→ Learn more: Psychiatry at AIM
Individual Therapy for Co-Occurring Disorders
Individual therapy for dual diagnosis addresses both the mental health and substance use dimensions of a person’s experience — not just one of them. Our therapists use evidence-based approaches including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and trauma-informed approaches depending on what the person’s presentation requires.
→ Learn more: Therapy and Counseling at AIM
Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) for Dual Diagnosis
Our Substance Use IOP is a dual diagnosis program — meaning it is built to treat both the addiction and the mental health condition driving it at the same time. Treatment includes group therapy, individual sessions, and psychiatric oversight, all coordinated within AIM’s integrated system.
For people with co-occurring disorders, the IOP setting is particularly effective. The frequency of sessions creates the accountability and practice that dual diagnosis recovery requires, and the group format provides peer support from others navigating similar experiences.
→ Learn more: Substance Use IOP at AIM
Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) for Dual Diagnosis
For people who need a higher level of structure and support than IOP provides — where daily functioning is significantly impaired or stabilization is needed before stepping down — our Partial Hospitalization Program offers the most intensive level of outpatient care available. PHP involves daily programming multiple days per week, with the full clinical team involved in coordinating care.
→ Learn more: PHP at AIM
Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT)
For substance use disorders where medication plays a clinical role in recovery — including opioid use disorder and alcohol use disorder — AIM offers Medication-Assisted Treatment as part of a comprehensive dual diagnosis plan. MAT is not a substitute for therapy or psychiatric care. It is one component of an integrated approach that addresses the full scope of what a person is dealing with.
→ Learn more: Medication-Assisted Treatment at AIM
Benefits of Dual Diagnosis Treatment
Treating co-occurring disorders together rather than separately produces meaningfully better outcomes.
Some of the core benefits of integrated dual diagnosis treatment include:
Better Long-Term Recovery Rates-When the underlying mental health condition driving substance use is addressed, the cycle of relapse becomes easier to interrupt. People are not just managing symptoms — they are addressing the root.
Fewer Gaps in Care-In fragmented treatment systems, people with dual diagnoses fall through the cracks between their mental health provider and their addiction provider. At AIM, those providers are the same team — communicating directly, sharing information, and adjusting the plan together.
A Treatment Plan That Fits the Whole Person-Dual diagnosis treatment does not treat the mental health condition in one silo and the addiction in another. It treats the person — recognizing that the two conditions are intertwined and that recovery from one supports recovery from the other.
Reduced stigma and increased engagement. Being treated by a team that understands how mental health and substance use interact — rather than a team that treats addiction as a moral failing or mental health as secondary — makes it easier to stay engaged in treatment.
Why AIM for Dual Diagnosis Care?
Most treatment systems separate mental health and addiction care — which means people with co-occurring disorders are constantly navigating between providers who do not communicate, treatment plans that do not align, and a system that was not built for the complexity of their situation. AIM was built differently.
Integrated Care Under One Roof
At AIM, your psychiatrist, therapist, IOP team, and MAT provider all operate within the same system of care. They communicate directly. They know your full history. When your needs change — when you need to step up to IOP, when medication needs adjusting, when a new issue emerges — the response happens within a team that already understands your picture.
Providers Who Understand Co-Occurring Disorders
Not every mental health or addiction provider is equipped to treat dual diagnosis effectively. Our clinical team has specific experience with co-occurring conditions — understanding how to sequence treatment, how to manage medication in the context of substance use, and how to build a plan that holds over time rather than addressing one condition while the other goes untreated.
Smaller Caseloads. More Time With You.
Our providers carry intentionally smaller caseloads so they have the time to actually know you — to notice when something has shifted, to ask the questions that matter, and to adjust care proactively. In dual diagnosis treatment, where the clinical picture can change quickly, that attentiveness is not a nice-to-have. It is what good care requires.
In-Network With Most Insurance
AIM is in-network with most major insurance plans including Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna/Evernorth, Aetna, UNC Health Alliance, Optum/United, the NC State Health Plan, Ambetter, and TRICARE. Our team can help verify your benefits before your first appointment.
Lindsay Hildreth, PA-C, CAQ-Psychiatry
Psychiatric Physician Assistant
Elizabeth Morgan, PA-C
Psychiatric Physician Assistant
Madeline Hooper, MSW, LCSW
Clinical Therapist
Our Team
Dual diagnosis treatment requires a team — not a single provider working in isolation. At AIM, your psychiatrist, therapist, and program staff work together as one team, built around you.
Our providers have experience with the clinical complexity that co-occurring disorders introduce — the medication decisions that require caution, the right therapeutic approaches, and all the life transitions that recovery often requires. You will not have to repeat your story to providers who do not know each other.
Three easy steps to get scheduled now!
More contact information
Step 1: Fill out the New Patient Form.
Step 2: You’ll be directed to online scheduling.
Step 3: Pick your provider, date, and time
Step 4: Begin your wellness journey!
Email address:
info@aimwellbeing.com
Phone number:
919.893.4465
Fax number:
800-860-8126
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