Lecturer contributes to national report on mental health and substance misuse

Posted on 15 April 2015

A new report on mental health and substance misuse released this week contains contributions by the department’s Dual Diagnosis specialist, Ian Hamilton.

The report, produced by DrugScope on behalf of the Recovery Partnership, aims to:

outline the prevalence of dual diagnosis and multiple needs within the subject population and some of the consequences and causes of this;
provide an overview of where progress has been made and where it has fallen short;
consider the role of mental health services and substance use services as part of a network of potential and actual support providers;
give consideration to dual diagnosis and complex needs as one factor in a system of often self-reinforcing exclusions and characteristics;
consider four areas where there is either clear potential for progress or else potential for retrograde developments, focussing on the 2002 Dual Diagnosis Guidelines and the proposed review; complex needs and offending, complex needs and young people, and how people with histories affected by complex needs can build a better life for themselves;
offer a limited number of practical recommendations for services as well as for central and local government.

Ian said: "This report provides important suggestions about how we can work towards integrating care for people who have both mental health and substance use problems. This would not only improve the experience of accessing services for such people but, by pooling treatment budgets, there is the potential to save money and improve outcomes."

To read the full report visit www.drugscope.org.uk/Resources/Drugscope/Documents/PDF/Policy/Coexisiting%20MH%20and%20SM%20summary.pdf.