Understanding & assessment
What Dual Diagnosis Means: Mental Health and Substance Use Together
Understand dual diagnosis, how mental health and substance use interact, what assessment involves, and how coordinated care is selected.
Read the guideExplore the subject
Understanding & assessment
Explore Understanding & assessment: practical explanations, treatment and program distinctions, and questions to help you make an informed choice.
Guides to read next
Understanding & assessment
Dual Diagnosis or Substance-Induced Symptoms? Understanding the Assessment
Learn how clinicians distinguish co-occurring disorders from substance-induced symptoms using history, timing, medication review, and reassessment.
Read the guideUnderstanding & assessment
What a Comprehensive Dual Diagnosis Assessment Should Cover
Prepare for a dual diagnosis assessment covering substance use, mental health, physical health, medication, daily life, goals, and coordinated next steps.
Read the guideUnderstanding & assessment
Dual Diagnosis Screening Is a Starting Point, Not a Diagnosis
Understand dual diagnosis screening, positive and negative results, questionnaire limits, privacy, and how screening leads to a fuller clinical assessment.
Read the guideUnderstanding & assessment
Building a Symptom and Substance-Use Timeline Before an Assessment
Prepare a symptom and substance-use timeline for a dual diagnosis assessment, including medicines, treatment changes, uncertain dates, and useful records.
Read the guideUnderstanding & assessment
Why Physical Health Belongs in a Dual Diagnosis Assessment
Learn what physical health review adds to a dual diagnosis assessment, including symptoms, medicines, investigations, infection testing, and follow-up.
Read the guideUnderstanding & assessment
Preparing for a Medication Review When Mental Health and Substance Use Overlap
Prepare for a medication review covering mental health, substance use, past treatment, supplements, side effects, monitoring, and shared prescribing.
Read the guideUnderstanding & assessment
When Should Mental Health Be Reassessed After Substance Use Changes?
Understand when to reassess mental health after substance use changes, why fixed waiting periods can mislead, and what should be reviewed sooner.
Read the guideUnderstanding & assessment
Seeking a Second Opinion After Conflicting Mental Health and Addiction Diagnoses
Seek a useful second opinion when mental health and addiction diagnoses conflict: define the question, gather records, compare reasoning, and preserve care.
Read the guideUnderstanding & assessment
Psychiatrist, Addiction Clinician, or Both: Who Assesses Dual Diagnosis?
Compare the roles of psychiatrists, addiction physicians, psychologists, and other clinicians when arranging a coordinated dual diagnosis assessment.
Read the guideUnderstanding & assessment
Which Previous Treatment Records Help a Dual Diagnosis Assessment?
Choose and organize previous records for a dual diagnosis assessment: discharge summaries, medication history, testing, missing documents, and secure transfer.
Read the guideUnderstanding & assessment
Discussing Substance Use Honestly During a Psychiatric Assessment
Prepare to discuss substance use in a psychiatric assessment, ask specific privacy questions, explain patterns honestly, and clarify how disclosure shapes care.
Read the guideUnderstanding & assessment
Living With Diagnostic Uncertainty While a Care Plan Takes Shape
Understand provisional dual diagnosis, agree on active care during uncertainty, organize useful observations, and know what to ask at each review.
Read the guideUnderstanding & assessment
Overlapping Mental Health and Addiction Symptoms: Questions That Clarify the Pattern
Prepare questions about overlapping mood, sleep, anxiety, attention, trauma, and psychosis symptoms when substance use and mental health need assessment.
Read the guideUnderstanding & assessment
Dual Diagnosis Assessment for Young Adults: Development, Family, and Consent
Plan a young adult dual diagnosis assessment around development, substance use, education, family involvement, confidentiality, and the transition to adult care.
Read the guideUnderstanding & assessment
Understanding a Dual Diagnosis Assessment Report and the Next Steps
Read a dual diagnosis assessment report, distinguish provisional findings from diagnoses, clarify recommendations, request corrections, and organize next steps.
Read the guide