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Dual Diagnosis: Assessment Dilemmas Return to Main Page

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
A large proportion of individuals suffering from alcoholism and drug dependence also suffer from mental health problems and vice versa. Because clinicians often lack training in both addiction and mental health treatment, clients with co-occurring mental and substance–related disorders frequently receive inadequate care, caught in the gap between the mental health and addiction treatment systems. Clinicians can feel ill equipped to face the increasing population of multi-problem and dual diagnosis clients.

This course is designed to improve practitioners’ abilities to assess people with co-occurring mental health and substance use problems. Practical strategies and methods will be offered to help change interviewing and assessment methods to better evaluate the dually diagnosed client.


PRESENTER BIO
David Mee-Lee, M.D.

David Mee-Lee, M.D. is a board-certified psychiatrist, and is certified by examination of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). Dr. Mee-Lee is based in Davis, CA and is involved in full-time training and consulting. Dr. Mee-Lee is Chair of the Coalition for National Clinical Criteria. He chaired the development of, and co-authored, the first and second editions of the ASAM Criteria. Dr. Mee-Lee is the Chief Editor of the Revised Second Edition of the ASAM Criteria, ASAM PPC-2R, which includes criteria for co-occurring mental and substance-related disorders, published in April 2001.

Dr. Mee-Lee has over twenty-five years experience with co-occuring disorders treatment and program development and has authored a number of book chapters and papers in a variety of professional publications.
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COURSE OBJECTIVES:
Participants will be able to demonstrate familiarity and knowledge of the following:
  1. Review statistics on prevalence of co-occurring disorders and the increased focus on dual diagnosis.
  2. Identify the major ideological differences that divide addiction and mental health systems and affect assessment.
  3. Discuss diagnostic dilemmas in the assessment of dually diagnosed individuals.
  4. Apply assessment strategies, techniques and priorities to determine how to deal with alcohol and other drug use in those with mental illness and vice versa



OUTLINE AND SCHEDULE:
  1. Introduction and Course Objectives (3 minutes)
    • Housekeeping issues for the course
  2. Prevalence and Definitions of Dual Diagnosis (7 minutes)
    • Statistics for mental health and addiction treatment settings
    • Increased federal, state and county focus on identifying dual diagnosis
    • Terminology and varying definitions of Co-Occurring Disorders
  3. Ideological Differences that Affect Assessment (10 minutes)
    • Lack of training in addiction treatment – blind to addiction
    • Past bad experiences with mental health – dismiss mental health issues
    • Overcoming attitudinal and training barriers to improve assessment
    • Prerequisite Concepts for Dual Diagnosis Work
  4. Diagnostic Dilemmas in Assessment of Dual Diagnosis (15 minutes)
    • Different relationships between substance use and mental health symptoms
    • Why lack of consensus?
    • Implications for assessment
  5. Assessment Strategies, Methods and Priorities in Dual Diagnosis (25 minutes)
    • Determining priorities: psychiatric versus addiction
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