More Co-occurring Disorders -Mental Illness and Substance Abuse
Persons admitted for treatment with both psychiatric and substance abuse disorders are said to have "co-occurring disorders." Other terms for this are "co-morbidity” and "dual diagnosis." Data on co-occurring problems reported to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration’s (SAMHSA’s) Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) were provided in the TED Supplemental Data Set which was provided by 29 States and jurisdictions in 2003.
Of the approximately 668,000 male admissions in the 29 States that reported presence or absence of co-occurring problems to SAMHSA's Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), about
103,000 (15%) were admissions with co-occurring problems.
Male admissions with co-occurring problems were more likely to report alcohol as the primary substance of abuse than male admissions for substance abuse alone (48% vs. 43%).
There has been an increased awareness of the co-morbidity of mental health and substance abuse disorders and the costs of co-occurring disorders. It has been clear for a long time that these patients have fallen through the cracks of our systems mostly due to the complications of providers attempting to prioritize one disorder over the other disorder while working withing a framented service system. Providers are becoming crosstrained so that we are able to provide one point of entry for these patients and one provider who is able to meet their needs. With this increased awareness there has been a paradigm shift and a movement to provide integrated treatment for these patients that are at high risk for homelessness, loss of primary support systems, and/or death accidentally or intentionally.
Of the approximately 668,000 male admissions in the 29 States that reported presence or absence of co-occurring problems to SAMHSA's Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), about
103,000 (15%) were admissions with co-occurring problems.
Male admissions with co-occurring problems were more likely to report alcohol as the primary substance of abuse than male admissions for substance abuse alone (48% vs. 43%).
There has been an increased awareness of the co-morbidity of mental health and substance abuse disorders and the costs of co-occurring disorders. It has been clear for a long time that these patients have fallen through the cracks of our systems mostly due to the complications of providers attempting to prioritize one disorder over the other disorder while working withing a framented service system. Providers are becoming crosstrained so that we are able to provide one point of entry for these patients and one provider who is able to meet their needs. With this increased awareness there has been a paradigm shift and a movement to provide integrated treatment for these patients that are at high risk for homelessness, loss of primary support systems, and/or death accidentally or intentionally.
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co-occurring disorder