Mentally Ill Chemical Abusers

Mental illness and substance abuse frequently merge and result in misdiagnosis. Practitioners in the fields of mental health, substance abuse, and alcohol abuse need to understand the issues that interfere with the progressive treatment of the MICA, or dually diagnosed, client. Treatment planning problems that arise from inaccurate assessment in turn lead to poor care and unsuccessful treatment. This text offers practical models and approaches to diagnosis and treatment planning, and suggests changes for all three existing systems to better serve MICA patients.