Dual Diagnosis (Mental Health & Substance Use)

Both Mental Health & substance use are complex areas; brought together, this combination can be very challenging indeed to the service user as well as those employed to support them.

This course one day course offers background knowledge and understanding of the diagnosis and aims to provide a basic model to begin working in this area. Learners will understand the issues from the service user’s perspective and the treatment and support that is available.

Learning objectives:

By the end of the course learners should understand:

• Definitions:
        -Mental Health/Illness
        -Substance use
        -Dual Diagnosis
        -Addiction
        -Alcoholism
        -Alcohol dependence
        -Tolerance
        -Withdrawal
        etc.
• Research findings
• Why such a high proportion of people with Mental Health needs use substances and/or alcohol
• The secondary gain from substance misuse from the user’s perspective
• The main Mental Health diagnosis:
        -Anxiety Disorders
        -Depression
        -Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
        -Mania
        -Bipolar Disorder
        -Schizophrenia
        -Personality Disorders
• A brief review of signs and symptoms of the above
• How substance use might interplay with the above
• The effects of alcohol and substances on the individual:
        -Social
        -Psychological
        -Spiritual
        -Physical
        -Sexual
        -Financial etc
• Suicide risk
• The effect on others (including crime, violence and domestic violence)
• The medical model of treatment
• Other help and support available
• How the issues of motivation and insight hamper support
• The effectiveness of CBT
• The Cycle of Change
• The principles of Motivational Interviewing
• Social and behavioural approaches
• The role of the support worker

Training methods:

• Tutor presentations
• OHP/PowerPoint
• Work in pairs
• Small group work
• Role Play
• Video presentation
• Handouts

CP91/4.9