Living with Co-occurring Addiction and Mental Health Disorders

This book is a basic overview of current evidence-based practices for treating co-occurring disorders and is designed to provide clinicians with the basic knowledge and skills required to effectively assess and treat co-occurring disorders.

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.

This textbook details how mental health and addiction are interconnected through childhood trauma, how this affects neurobiology and neuropsychology, and the need for an integrated whole-person treatment for those of diverse backgrounds to enhance treatment outcomes. Using an integrative pedagogy, the book helps readers broaden their understanding of co-occurring disorders through case studies, learning objectives, key terms, quiz questions, suggested resources, and references. By linking to previous knowledge and suggesting practical applications, each chapter provides clear direction for learning more about each treatment approach, diagnosis, and population discussed within the multicultural and biopsychosocial perspective. Co-occurring Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders will help graduate students in both substance use and mental health counseling make sense of integrative treatment with co-occurring disorders.

The definitive guide to identify, assess, and create individualized treatment plans for high-risk clients who suffer from challenging co-occurring disorders "Treat the person and not the diagnosis. Respect that all behaviors are purposeful. Remain mindful that nobody changes behaviors without motivation. These essential guiding principles are the framework of this book. They will be repeated quite often as we examine the challenging population of men and women with co-occurring disorders." —From Integrated Treatment for Co-Occurring Disorders Annual studies reveal that 70 percent of men and women who died by suicide were diagnosed with a mental illness or personality disorder and used drugs to gain temporary relief from the symptoms. Until now, very little has been written about how to identify, assess, and treat this population. Integrated Treatment for Co-Occurring Disorders: Treating People, Not Behaviors addresses that need. Respectful of the client and filled with practical advice, this book: Examines the guiding principles for treating clients with co-occurring disorders Details the methods of formulating an evidence-based individualized treatment plan for the self-medicating mentally ill Explores how to assess this population for suicide risk and vulnerability Focuses on the person and not a behaviorally defined diagnostic category Reflects state-of-the-art knowledge for the treatment of co-occurring disorders Illustrates how Motivational Enhancement Therapy can be an effective treatment strategy With numerous clinical case studies to illustrate key points and reinforce learning, Integrated Treatment for Co-Occurring Disorders encourages a flexible, person-centered treatment approach that focuses on the individual rather than the diagnosis.

This handbook reflects the reality facing mental health and substance abuse professionals in their daily practices, focusing on how to effectively manage caseloads that include individuals with vastly differing levels of functioning.

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.