Dual-diagnosis empirical and developmental-humanistic approaches

The association between alcohol and/or drug dependence and major psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia has received increased attention from the professional community. Terms such as "dual diagnosis" used to designate these clinical occurrences have become common, reflecting the interest mentioned. This chapter reviews the prevalence of the association between substance abuse and psychiatric disorder, the nature of the interactions observed, and some of the implications for patient care and health policy. Following this empirical perspective, we present a developmental-humanistic approach that has been used in the psychotherapeutic management of these problems. Our review of information on dual diagnosis suggests that the association between the two processes--substance abuse and psychiatric disorder--is not fortuitous or just the result of environmental conditions. There are complex physiopathological links at the neurobiological level that deserve research attention.