A vision for the future: toward a service system responsive to those with co-occurring addictive and mental disorders

Identified by providers, family members, administrators, and consumers as an issue creating frustration, high costs, and a profoundly negative impact on quality of life, co-occurring addictive and mental disorders cry out for creative and alternative clinical responses. With empirical research and clinical experience supporting the effectiveness of integrated approaches, the time has come to reconsider the systemic division of addictive and mental health services. A change toward integrated systems of care is likely to benefit the mental health and addiction treatment needs of all people, not just those with co-occurring disorders.