Treating Concurrent Disorders

This guide prepares addiction and mental health professionals to understand the relationship between substance use and mental health problems, and offers an array of treatment options for different combinations of co-occurring problems. Divided into three sections, covering assessment, practical applications, and tools and techniques, this handbook includes topics such as : concurrent disorders : past, present, and future; identifying, understanding and treating concurrent disorders; providing specialized services to clients; and improving existing services to better serve clients.

A person with a mental health problem has a higher risk of having a substance use problem, just as a person with a substance use problem has an increased chance of having a mental health problem. This guide: explains the symptoms and causes of concurrent disorder outlines the different kinds of treatments available, including psychosocial and biological treatments describes integrated treatment and how it helps discusses recovery and relapse prevention discusses family involvement gives guidance on how to explain concurrent disorders to children This guide gives a thorough introduction to concurrent disorder treatment options, and sensitive and sound coping skills to help people with concurrent disorders - and their families - toward recovery."

Estimates indicate that as many as 1 in 4 Americans will experience a mental health problem or will misuse alcohol or drugs in their lifetimes. These disorders are among the most highly stigmatized health conditions in the United States, and they remain barriers to full participation in society in areas as basic as education, housing, and employment. Improving the lives of people with mental health and substance abuse disorders has been a priority in the United States for more than 50 years. The Community Mental Health Act of 1963 is considered a major turning point in America's efforts to improve behavioral healthcare. It ushered in an era of optimism and hope and laid the groundwork for the consumer movement and new models of recovery. The consumer movement gave voice to people with mental and substance use disorders and brought their perspectives and experience into national discussions about mental health. However over the same 50-year period, positive change in American public attitudes and beliefs about mental and substance use disorders has lagged behind these advances. Stigma is a complex social phenomenon based on a relationship between an attribute and a stereotype that assigns undesirable labels, qualities, and behaviors to a person with that attribute. Labeled individuals are then socially devalued, which leads to inequality and discrimination. This report contributes to national efforts to understand and change attitudes, beliefs and behaviors that can lead to stigma and discrimination. Changing stigma in a lasting way will require coordinated efforts, which are based on the best possible evidence, supported at the national level with multiyear funding, and planned and implemented by an effective coalition of representative stakeholders. Ending Discrimination Against People with Mental and Substance Use Disorders: The Evidence for Stigma Change explores stigma and discrimination faced by individuals with mental or substance use disorders and recommends effective strategies for reducing stigma and encouraging people to seek treatment and other supportive services. It offers a set of conclusions and recommendations about successful stigma change strategies and the research needed to inform and evaluate these efforts in the United States.

Fundamentals of Addiction is an essential reference for counsellors and a comprehensive textbook for college and university level students in courses that address addictions. Written by more than 50 experts in addiction treatment and related fields, each chapter includes case examples, practice tips and print and online resources. This fourth edition of Alcohol & Drug Problems was renamed Fundamentals of Addiction to include behavioural or "process" addictions. Extensively revised, updated and expanded, this new edition is a valuable guide to helping people overcome the harmful, sometimes devastating, effects of addiction. Written by more than 50 experts in addiction treatment and related fields, Fundamentals of Addiction is a comprehensive guide to helping people overcome the harmful, sometimes devastating, effects of addiction.

Integrated Treatment for Co-Occurring Disorders addresses a complex client population, which presents service providers with significant professional challenges. Underlying personality disorders compromise treatment effectiveness for medical, other psychiatric, or trauma services, as well as the ability these individuals have in adhering to probation, parole, or court-ordered treatment requirements. A co-occuring substance use disorder amplifies the difficulties experienced by personality-disordered individuals, exacerbates the precarious nature of their relationships, and raises the skill level needed by service providers attempting to help them. There can be significant professional satisfaction in working effectively with the interplay of addiction and disorders of personality. The book brings focus to the specifics of assessment and treatment for this type of co-occurring disorder and suggests that greater adaptability, fewer self-sabotaging behaviors, and an abstinent lifestyle are all possible. Recovery from both disorders is the journey these individuals take toward greater maturation, reliable impulse control, and coping skills that are not dependent upon the evasion of the demands of living or use of substances to manage stress or uncomfortable affect. Recovery is possible, and service providers can assist these clients on their path to wellness.

An in-depth look at the disease of addiction and how to treat it. Diagnosing and Treating Addictions provides clinicians, counselors, doctors and families with a clear and concise understanding of substance use disorders. Written by a leading psychiatrist, Dr. Merville Vincent has over twenty years' experience treating addiction and concurrent mental health disorders. Based on the most recent research, Dr. Vincent guides you through the process of screening and diagnosing a patient with a substance use disorder all the way to the treatment phase. He explains different treatment options and therapies, including a detailed examination of residential rehabilitation. Dr. Vincent's expertise lies in concurrent mental health disorders and he explains how some of the most common disorders interact with addiction. Illustrated with case studies, Diagnosing and Treating Addictions contains everything professionals need to know to help those suffering with addiction. Topics include: What causes addiction? Pharmacology Screening methods for clinicians Behavioural addictions Withdrawal and detoxification An extensive section on concurrent disorders such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders and psychosis Treatment options and outcomes Hot topics such as prescription opiate addiction, medical marijuana and occupational addiction

Having concurrent substance use and mental health problems obviously affects the person experiencing the problems directly, but they also have powerful effects on family members and friends. Families need help to deal with the impact of concurrent disorders, but families are also a key to finding effective solutions. Part I is an overview of concurrent disorders, an introduction to treatment options and information about substance use problems, mental health problems and how they interact. Part II focuses on the impact of concurrent disorders on family life. It includes information on self-care strategies for family members and understanding and coping with the effects of stigma. Part III explores treatment and support for people affected by concurrent disorders. It includes strategies for navigating the mental health and substance use treatment systems, information about psychosocial and medication treatment options, recognizing and planning for relapses, and anticipating and coping with crisis situations. Part IV talks about the journey to recovery.

This workbook is to be used by patients who are in a cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy program designed for patients who have posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and a co-occurring alcohol or drug use disorder.