NHS guidance to tackle mental health and substance misuse problems

email to a friend | user comments

Published: 08 February 2007

NHS guidance to tackle mental health and substance misuse problems

Mental Health Tsar Louis Appleby has highlighted guidance - Dual Diagnosis in mental health inpatient and day hospital settings - aimed at improving the care received by people with both a mental health and a drug problem.

Mental health patients who have a drug and/or alcohol problem - also known as dual diagnosis – are more likely to be:

· at risk of taking their own lives

· in contact with the criminal justice system

· hospitalised

However, they are less likely to comply with medication and other treatments.

National Clinical Director for Mental Health, Professor Louis Appleby said:

"The evidence is clear.

The misuse of substances -particularly cannabis - can worsen the symptoms of mental illness, interfere with people's recovery and medication, and increase the chance that someone could relapse.

People with both a mental health and substance misuse problem are also at greater risk of harming themselves and others.

We want to ensure that dual diagnosis patients do not miss out on they care they need because mental health services and drug treatment services are not joined-up.

We have already done much to ensure that both services work more closely together, and this guidance builds on this.

It makes clear that the ability to provide dual diagnosis patients with the treatment and care they require should be the norm - not the exception - in mental health services."

The guidance centres on the care provided in in-patient settings and makes a number of recommendations for NHS mental health services, including that:

· all clinical staff in mental health services should have the skills to assess & manage patients with a substance misuse problem

· substance misuse and mental health services should become more integrated, and

· ideas & best practice examples should be available for front-line managers to help them improve services

In addition, a new resource focused on making patients more aware of the risks of substance misuse and helping them to get their problems under control has been produced. It supports health professionals to discuss drug use with patients and to give them the information they need to reduce their use of cannabis.

Paul Corry, Director of Public Affairs at Rethink said:

"These new resources are very much needed and should be in high demand for professionals faced with the complex issues that dual diagnosis can present.

Rethink is delighted that the Department of Health has recognised risks posed by cannabis to mental health in the materials."

The pack, How cannabis can affect people with mental health problems - Information for patients and practitioners, covers the effects of cannabis on people who already have mental health problems - not whether cannabis use causes people to develop mental health problems.

The National Service Framework for Mental Health - Five Years On report, published in 2004, highlighted dual diagnosis as one of the biggest challenges facing frontline mental health services.

Further information

Dual Diagnosis in mental health inpatient and day hospital settings

Pack: How cannabis can affect people with mental health problems - Information for patients and practitioners

National Service Framework for Mental Health - Five Years On

National service framework for mental health: modern standards and service models

DH – Mental Health

DH – Substance Misuse

CSIP – Dual Diagnosis

Children, young people and volatile substance abuse (VSA)

Mind - Understanding dual diagnosis

National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (NTA)

Rethink website