Guidelines on the management of co-occurring alcohol and other drug and mental health conditions in alcohol and other drug treatment settings (National Comorbidity Clinical Guidelines)
NDARC Staff
Katherine Mills, Mark Deady, Heather Proudfoot, Claudia Sannibale, Richard Mattick, Maree Teesson and Lucy Burns
Aims
As part of the National Comorbidity Initiative, the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing funded NDARC to develop guidelines on the management of comorbid mental health conditions in AOD treatment settings. The purpose of these Guidelines is to provide AOD workers with up-to-date, evidence-based information on the management of comorbid mental health conditions in AOD treatment settings. They are based on the best available evidence and draw upon the experience and knowledge of clinicians, researchers, consumers and carers.
The guidelines aim to:
- Increase AOD workers’ knowledge and awareness of mental health conditions
- Improve the confidence and skills of AOD workers working with clients with comorbid mental health conditions
- Provide guiding principles for working with clients with comorbid mental health conditions
- Improve AOD workers’ ability to identify mental health conditions
- Provide practical information on the management of comorbid mental health conditions
- Provide information regarding the treatment of comorbid mental health conditions
- Provide information regarding referral processes
- Provide resources that may be used to facilitate all of the above
Design and Method
The Guidelines are based on a comprehensive review of the best available evidence and the experience of an expert panel of academic researchers, clinicians, consumers and carer. In developing the Guidelines, we have relied where possible on evidence from well designed research studies. Where this evidence was not available, recommendations were based upon appropriate clinical experience.
Progress
A draft of the Guidelines was completed and submitted to the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing in June 2008. The Guidelines are undergoing pilot testing in non-government organization AOD treatment services across Australia. Based on the feedback received from the pilot the Guidelines may be revised before being disseminated to all AOD treatment services across Australia in late 2009.
Funding
Australian Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing