Mental Health And Substance Use Problems Disorders

According to Treatment Improvement Protocol No. 43 (2005), a mental disorder is defined as a disease of the mind or a brain disorder. According to SAMHSA (2016), more than eighteen percent of US citizens age 18 and older live with a brain disorder combined with another problem. To put it another way, almost 1/5th of the US population lives with mental illness and either a substance use disorder or some other issue (SAMHSA, 2016). A co-occurring problem is defined as the coexistence of both a substance use disorder and mental health problem (SAMSHA, 2016). Other examples of co-occurring problems include pathological gambling, eating disorders and those previously stated are all treatable with proper evaluation, assessment and interventions†¦show more content†¦Co-occurring disorders are best treated by integrated care in which the primary physician, mental health providers as well as substance abuse professionals work simultaneously to treat the complex and varying needs of t he patient (Stevens Smith 2013). According to Cherokee Health (n.d.), blended behavioral care and primary clinical model providing real time help to patients who struggle with a substance use disorder and mental health problem can be as simple as having real time behavioral health and psychiatric consultation available to the primary care physician (Cherokee Health Systems Training, n.d.). According to Mitchell (2015), Treatment of co-occurring disorders should be integrated or closely coordinated with substance abuse treatment when the former is not available on site. Treatment Improvement Protocol No. 43 (2005) clinical barriers often stand in the way of care for co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders; that have previously been treatment as two separate organizations. substance abuse providers can be educated and trained to identify and make referrals for patients with co-occurring problems but this did not result in improved outcomes (Treatment Improvement Protocol No. 43, 2005). According to Mitchell (2016), staff members, whether they are mainly from the substance abuse treatment or