Heterogeneity of person and place: assessing co-occurring addictive and mental disorders

Provision of appropriate treatment for clients with co-occurring addictive and mental disorders is hampered by difficulties in diagnosing this diverse population and in identifying and delivering necessary services via agencies that typically focus on only a portion of these clients' problems. This paper considers common pitfalls in assessment across settings and suggests approaches to identifying and meeting the needs of clients with multiple problems.