Integrated Dual Diagnosis Treatment (IDDT) is treatment for substance abuse and mental health that is delivered by a team who are trained in both substance abuse and mental health. The treatment includes psychological and psychopharmacological (medications) components. It also includes and incorporates education and social networking. Consumers (people who have a mental illness) and their family members are involved in IDDT.

IDDT is a multi-disciplinary approach, meaning there are many different types of treatment providers involved: psychiatrists, case managers, counselors, nurses, etc. doing many different things, but with one focus. That focus is on the person's recovery, abstinence and wellness.

Prevalence of substance abuse disorders is high among people who have Schizophrenia (45%) and Bipolar Disorder (55%) when compared with the general population (17%). There are more modest increases among people with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (32%), Major Depression (27%) and Panic Disorders (22%), but the rates of co-occurring substance abuse accompanied by mental illness or substance abuse disorders is still high.

The co-occurrence of substance abuse and mental illness can make it hard for people to maintain employment, have solid family relationships or gain a solid recovery from their mental illnesses. They lead to higher rates of relapse and higher costs of care.

IDDT is proven to:

-Reduce arrest and incarceration

-Increase abstinence

-Decrease substance abuse and relapse rate

-Decrease psychiatric symptoms

-Increase quality of life for participants

When fidelity to the IDDT program is followed, the combination of services and supports helps people maintain wellness who were previously cycling in and out of wellness. This means that it is very important that the program be done the way it is designed to be done. When parts of the program aren't done as designed, the effectiveness rate falls drastically.

In IDDT four stages of change are stressed as the program helps people move through them.

-Pre-contemplation

-Contemplation

-Preparation

-Action and maintenance

Assertive Outreach and Motivational Interviewing are also used.

Assertive Outreach means that a lot of the assistance, outreach and services will be community-based (delivered out in the community.) There are frequent interactions between IDDT participants and staff, and there is practical assistance (like with daily needs) to help build trust between staff and participants.

Motivational Interviewing is a type of interaction that helps people receiving services identify their goals for daily living, life goals and strategies for reaching those goals. Once those are known, motivational interviewing helps people discover the reasons their current behaviors and strategies aren't helping them reach their life goals.