CO-OCCURRING MENTAL HEALTH AND DRUG USE DISORDERS

UNODC Scientific Consultation – December 2015

CO-OCCURRING MENTAL HEALTH AND DRUG USE DISORDERS

Marta Torrens Psychiatrist, Head of Addiction Program Institute of Neuropsychiatry and Addictions, Parc de Salut Mar; Professor of Psychiatry Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

In recent decades, the relevance of mental disorders associated with substance use has become a matter of great concern. The importance of the comorbidity of mental disorders in substance users is related to its high prevalence (approximately 50 %), its clinical severity (i.e. more emergency admissions) and social (i.e. higher homelessness rates) gravity, its difficult management and its association with poor outcomes for both disorders in the subjects affected. That is, for people with comorbid substance use and mental disorders, there are increased risks of chronicity and criminality, treatment is difficult and costly, and chances of recovery are reduced. Taking into account the burden on health and legal systems, comorbid mental disorders among drug users result in high costs for society and lead to challenges not only for clinicians but also for policymakers.

The adequate detection and treatment of comorbid mental and substance use disorders is one of the biggest challenges that policymakers, professionals and clinicians working in the drugs field must face in the coming years. Despite the relevance of providing effective treatments for comorbid mental disorders among patients with substance use disorder, there is still a lack of consensus regarding not only the most appropriate pharmacological and psychosocial strategies but also the most appropriate setting for treatment. Patients often have difficulties

not only in identifying, but also in accessing and coordinating, the required mental health and substance use services. In this presentation a review of the state of the art of the association between mental disorders and substance use disorders will be done.

About the author

Marta Torrens, MD, PhD, Psychiatrist, Head of Addiction program at the Institute of Neuropsychiatry and Addictions-Parc de Salut Mar and Professor of Psychiatry in the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona. She has developed her work in drug abuse in clinical, teaching and research. Her main clinical experience is the assessment and treatment of drug dependence, mainly in opioid dependence (detoxification, substitution treatment), in psychiatric comorbidity among substance users (dual diagnosis) and new psychoactive substances. She has participated in many conferences and courses regarding good practices in the clinical treatment of drug abuse. Her research has been published in the main journals’ of the field. She has collaborated with international organizations including: EMCDDA, WHO, UNODC in the field of addiction. Also she has been invited as an expert to present at scientific congress and meetings.

Email: mtorrens [at] imim [dot] es