Substance use

Therapies for dual diagnosis

What is dual diagnosis?

Dual diagnosis is a term that refers to having both a mental illness such as bipolar disorder and a substance use problem. Studies of dual diagnosis investigate the effectiveness and availability of treatments for improving outcomes relating to either diagnosis, such as symptoms, functioning, quality of life, substance use, or cognitive problems.

What is the evidence for treatments for dual diagnosis?

Moderate to low quality evidence finds some improvement in symptoms and substance use with cognitive behavioural therapy plus medication. However, these results were not consistently found using different measures of substance use and symptoms.

November 2021

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Last updated at: 11:34 am, 3rd November 2021
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Orange - Topic summary is being compiled.
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