National Program Inventory - Concurrent Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders

Introduction

Over the last two decades, the co-occurrence of addiction and mental health problems among people seeking treatment and support has emerged as an important issue for those who plan and fund mental health and addiction programs, as well as for those who provide direct service. Concerns about concurrent disorders have been fueled by research showing the high prevalence of such co-morbidity and its implications for the course, cost and outcome of treatment and other support services.

In response to this growing concern, Health Canada issued a Request for Proposals for the development of a national inventory of specialized concurrent disorders programs. This inventory is intended to be used as a companion document to the Best Practices -- Concurrent Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders which provides an updated synthesis of the research on concurrent disorders, and offers specific recommendations for the screening, assessment, and treatment/support of this in-need population. The results of the information collected for the inventory provide a system-level snapshot of specialized programs for people with concurrent disorders across Canada.

The project was carried out by the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse (CCSA) on behalf of the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and under the direction of Health Canada's Working Group on Accountability and Evaluation Framework and Research Agenda. The working group is appointed by the Federal/Provincial/Territorial Committee on Alcohol and Drug Issues. The mandate of the working group is to oversee the development and implementation of research studies that contribute to innovative substance abuse treatment and rehabilitation programs by identifying best practices, evaluating model treatment and rehabilitation programs, and identifying emerging issues. The knowledge is then disseminated across the country.

This project builds on a series of best practices publications including: Best Practices -- Substance Abuse Treatment and Rehabilitation (Health Canada, 1999a); Best Practices -- Fetal Alcohol Syndrome/Fetal Alcohol Effects and the Effects of Other Substance Use During Pregnancy (Health Canada, 2001); Best Practices -- Treatment and Rehabilitation for Youth with Substance Use Problems (Health Canada, 2001); and Best Practices -- Treatment and Rehabilitation for Women with Substance Use Problems (Health Canada, 2001).

Methodology

Questionnaires were sent to all agencies across Canada who were identified in CCSA's national directory as providing services to individuals with concurrent disorders. Of those that responded, 37 agencies provided information regarding their programs, including geographic area served, services provided, types of interventions, fee for service, and inclusion and exclusion criteria.