The co-occurrence of substance use in other mental disorders: editor's introduction

The co-occurrence of substance use disorders with other mental disorders has a profound impact on theoretical and conceptual issues in the study of psychopathology and poses unique problems regarding assessment and treatment. Given the high rate of comorbidity, it is not possible to simply treat comorbid substance use as error variance that must be eliminated or controlled for in psychopathology research. Rather, it is proposed that the direct study of the co-occurrence of substance use disorders with other mental disorders will enhance the generalizability of research findings and allow for a better understanding of causal processes underlying comorbidity. The contributors to this Special Issue of Clinical Psychology Review have marshaled the latest evidence concerning comorbid substance use in a range of disorders and each contributor proposes integrative perspectives that will facilitate future research.