Dual Diagnosis Drug Treatment

Dual Diagnosis is a major issue

The realization that mental illness and substance abuse can be linked is quite recent, so research is scant. Estimates on the scale of dual diagnosis in America vary, but include:

About 25 per cent of people with anxiety disorders, affective disorders and drug abuse disorders also have another mental disorder.
Around 64 per cent of psychiatric in-patients may have a current or previous drug abuse problem.
Around 75 per cent of people with alcohol and drug abuse problems may have a mental illness.
About 90 per cent of males with schizophrenia may have a drug abuse problem.

Integrated dual diagnosis treatment can be difficult

Effective management of either drug abuse disorders or mental health disorders is challenging. Dual diagnosis can mean an increase in challenging behaviors including self-harm and aggression, avoidance of services, and resistance to or non-compliance with dual diagnosis treatment and recovery programs.

Research suggests that people with a dual diagnosis respond well to integrated dual diagnosis treatment programs that address both their mental illness and their drug abuse. However, these dual diagnosis treatment programs were uncommon until recent years. Some of the reasons for this include:

Diagnosis can be difficult, because it isn’t always clear which problem has the more severe symptoms. Health services are now becoming more able to recognize dual diagnosis.
Mental health services are usually reserved for people with severe problems, so dual diagnosis clients with less severe mental health problems may not get dual diagnosis treatment. They should, however, be referred to a suitable service.
A person with a mental illness may receive treatment, but their drug abuse problem could be dismissed as a minor side effect of their illness.
The number of workers trained in dual diagnosis treatment is slowly increasing. The services for mental health and drug abuse generally don’t overlap, so professionals in one field aren’t knowledgeable about the issues in the other field. It is hard to find professionals who are skilled in treating both drug abuse and mental illness.

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This entry was posted on Sunday, April 22nd, 2007 at 8:30 am and is filed under Dual Diagnosis Drug Treatment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.