Comorbidity - All Parliamentary Committee Drug Misuse Group's findings

Applicable to: United Kingdom
The All Party Parliamentary Committee on Drugs (2000) findings cover many of the problems encountered when treating drug users with mental health disorders. They noted differences in philosophy between addiction and mental health services, with mental health being more concerned with individual and public safety than with the choice to detain patients. Addiction services expect some level of motivation for people to attend and they remain free to leave if they choose. They noted:

Gaps existed between services with rigid inclusion criteria. This may reflect commissioning or finance initiatives;
A failure to communicate between agencies;
That there was sometimes excess sensitivity about confidentiality;
A sense of needing more training to deal with this patient group; and
That stigma and prejudice can be attached to both parts of the ‘dual diagnosis’.

References
All-Party Parliamentary Drugs Misuse Group (2000). Report on drug misuse and mental health: learning lessons on dual diagnosis. All-Party Parliamentary Drugs Misuse Group. London.

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