1
Addiction and Substance Use in Diverse Populations: Rough Draft
College of Humanities & Social Sciences-Grand Canyon University
PCN-370: Psychopath & Adv. Treatment-Spec Pop W/ Addiction & Substance Use
Disorders
2
Addiction and Substance Use in Diverse Populations: Rough Draft
Within the current cultural climate, most people who seek professional assistance for
overcoming a substance use disorder will, unfortunately, also need psychological services for
issues other than merely their addiction. Coined as “dual diagnosis”, this population will present
a constellation of symptoms that, depending on the severity, may require partial treatment (or the
focusing of only one of the diagnosis) or what is referred to as sequential treatment (when both
disorders are addressed one after another). Additionally, within the field of mental health, the
term “parallel treatments” implies that service providers are, out of necessity, having to
implement multiple treatments simultaneously for a single patient who categorized as “dual
, diagnosis”. The relevance of this concept becomes apparent when considering that, within the
specialty of addiction specifically, the majority of those who need help for addiction will also
need help for another illness or mental disorder. In such instances, the amount of maintenance
required for the dual diagnosis client to maintain their sobriety can, understandably, seem
daunting (if not impossible) upon initial consideration. Consequently, it is not uncommon for
dual diagnosis clients to, over time, neglect certain aspects of their mental health (and the
illnesses therein) which, in turn, exasperates their cravings, increases their overall stress, and, in
the worst-case scenario, ignites a chain of events that can lead toward a full-blown relapse. Thus,
for individuals who formally meet the criteria of having co-occurring disorders, the likelihood of
both achieving and maintaining their sobriety is, from a treatment vantage point, directly
correlated with how much effort they (and the treatment staff) also put towards addressing any
past trauma, secondary disorders, or other underlying psychological issues.
Assessment and Screening Techniques for Co-occurring Mental Health and Substance Use
Disorders
Addiction and Substance Use in Diverse Populations: Rough Draft
College of Humanities & Social Sciences-Grand Canyon University
PCN-370: Psychopath & Adv. Treatment-Spec Pop W/ Addiction & Substance Use
Disorders
2
Addiction and Substance Use in Diverse Populations: Rough Draft
Within the current cultural climate, most people who seek professional assistance for
overcoming a substance use disorder will, unfortunately, also need psychological services for
issues other than merely their addiction. Coined as “dual diagnosis”, this population will present
a constellation of symptoms that, depending on the severity, may require partial treatment (or the
focusing of only one of the diagnosis) or what is referred to as sequential treatment (when both
disorders are addressed one after another). Additionally, within the field of mental health, the
term “parallel treatments” implies that service providers are, out of necessity, having to
implement multiple treatments simultaneously for a single patient who categorized as “dual
, diagnosis”. The relevance of this concept becomes apparent when considering that, within the
specialty of addiction specifically, the majority of those who need help for addiction will also
need help for another illness or mental disorder. In such instances, the amount of maintenance
required for the dual diagnosis client to maintain their sobriety can, understandably, seem
daunting (if not impossible) upon initial consideration. Consequently, it is not uncommon for
dual diagnosis clients to, over time, neglect certain aspects of their mental health (and the
illnesses therein) which, in turn, exasperates their cravings, increases their overall stress, and, in
the worst-case scenario, ignites a chain of events that can lead toward a full-blown relapse. Thus,
for individuals who formally meet the criteria of having co-occurring disorders, the likelihood of
both achieving and maintaining their sobriety is, from a treatment vantage point, directly
correlated with how much effort they (and the treatment staff) also put towards addressing any
past trauma, secondary disorders, or other underlying psychological issues.
Assessment and Screening Techniques for Co-occurring Mental Health and Substance Use
Disorders
