Considerations for the Clinical Use of Evidence- Based Practice Approaches for Co-Occurring Disorders

According to the 2017 National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services, it is estimated that 37% of the individuals seeking treatment for substance use disorders had a co-occurring mental health disorder [1]. Atkins [2] estimated that more than 8 million Americans qualified for having a co-occurring disorder and reviewed historical approaches to the approach to treatment taken by the field noting that there has been shifts in perspective between recommending treating mental health and substance use disorder condition separately, sequentially, or simultaneously. The current trend in treatment is towards care integration and the treatment of co-occurring disorders simultaneously unless otherwise indicated by specific client needs.