Substance Use and Mental Health
In this section you will find news about what is going on in Bolton related to 'Dual diagnosis', or drugs or alcohol and mental health. There is also an Events page which gives details of any upcoming events - this may be service user events, training for professionals, or other related events.
The term dual diagnosis is commonly used to describe a person who has combined mental health and alcohol and/or drug problems.
How common is it?
People with a dual diagnosis make up a high proportion of those using mental health and drug and alcohol services.
80% of people receiving treatment for alcohol problems experience anxiety and depression
Up to half of people with mental health problems may also misuse alcohol and/or drugs
A recent study of prison mental health services suggests that dual diagnosis is the norm rather than the exception for people in prisons
People with dual diagnosis also form a significant proportion of those using primary care services, housing, social services and criminal justice services.
How it affects people
Alcohol and drug use can affect us in a number of different ways. Substance use may lead to or exacerbate mental health problems. Likewise mental health problems may lead to harmful or dependent substance use. It can be difficult to work out which came first and exactly how this relationship works.
Assessing which condition is ‘primary’ diagnosis and which is ‘secondary’ diagnosis may be possible. But, all too often they are used as a barrier for accessing treatment. It is important that the needs of the individual are placed first, and treating both the mental health and alcohol or drug difficulty together should be the treatment of choice. The emerging evidence suggests ‘An Integrated Treatment Approach’ has better outcomes.
In Bolton there is a dedicated Dual Diagnosis Lead who works across the Drug and Alcohol Strategy and Commissioning Team and the PCT. There are a number of key developments taking place including:
• Local Dual Diagnosis training programs and events
• Developing an integrated approach to treatment through joined up care pathways across mental health and drug and alcohol services
• A renewed emphasis on recovery across drug/alcohol and mental health systems
• A raft of service improvement work which will help to improve services for users and carers
For more information about local developments, please contact: ann.gorry@bolton.gov.uk