Dual diagnosis in the Walter B. Jones Alcohol and Drug Treatment Center

The identification and management of substance abusers admitted with dual diagnosis problems or subsequently diagnosed during treatment with psychiatric syndromes, presents a therapeutic challenge to the hospital staff. This task becomes increasingly difficult because of the time constraints imposed by the length of the program (28 days) in our institution. An ongoing effort is in place to discover independent psychiatric illness in our population. If it exists, it is treated as effectively as possible within the constraints of time, with the expectation of enhancing aftercare treatment. The difficulties that arise in identifying psychiatric symptoms secondary to alcohol and drug use, from independent co-existing psychiatric illness will be described.