Wednesday, February 02, 2005

Many Patients Have Co-Occurring Mental and Substance Abuse Disorders -- Both Must Be Addressed for Successful TreatmentSAMHSA press release - "Co-occurring substance abuse and mental disorders are more common than most professional counselors, medical personnel or the general public realize. A new Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) released today by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) estimates that 50-75 percent of patients in substance abuse treatment programs have co-occurring mental illness while 20-50 percent of those treated in mental health settings have co-occurring substance abuse. Most people with co-occurring disorders do not receive treatment for both mental disorders and substance abuse. Many receive no treatment of any kind. The new Treatment Improvement Protocol is designed for substance abuse treatment counselors and mental health providers who usually treat one or the other of the two ailments, but it will also be useful for administrators, primary care providers, criminal justice staff and other health care and social service personnel who work with people with co-occurring disorders."