Integrated Treatment for Dual Diagnosis

Fast Facts:

Substance abuse is the most frequent co-occuring disorder with serious mental illness (National Co-Morbidity Survey, 1993).

50% of the seriously mentally ill are affected by substance abuse (Reiger, et al.,1990).

The existence of one disorder has the potential to interfere with treatment of the other (Brown and Ramsey, 2000).

According to Drake (2001), there have been several noted negative outcomes for individuals with dual diagnosis:

Relapse and Rehospitalization

Suicidality and violence

Medical involvement

Criminal involvement

Homelessness

Trauma, vulnerability

Family disruption, domestic violence

High service utilization

Life After Deinstitutionalization

A brief history of dual diagnosis treatment

"Our history thus far demonstrates a lack of invested, sustained leadership that is capable of developing a cohesive national agenda for dual disorders. It is our respsonsibility to change the course of this history to meet the needs of dually diagnosed consumers and their families."

-Sciacca & Hatfield, 1995

Integrated Treatment

What is it and why does it work?

"Integrated treatment refers to any of a number of mechanisms by which established diagnosis-specific and stage-specific treatments for each disorder are combined into a person-centered coherent whole at the level of the consumer, and each rx can be modified as needed to accommodate issues related to the other disorder."

-Kenneth Minkoff, M.D.

Image taken from www.abc.net.au

Links to Resources
"The great end of life is not knowledge but action." - Thomas H. Huxley

This web presentation was designed for Dr.Zvi Gellis's graduate class 'Evidence Based Practice in the Mental Health Setting' at SUNY Albany School of Social Welfare, Fall 2005.

**Our page is designed to give out information about co-occurring disorders and existing treatment. It is by no means an acceptable substitute for therapy by a professional in the human services field or a peer support group.**