A study of emergency room records from 2007 found that mental health and drug abuse issues (also know as co-occurring disorders or dual diagnosis) are common in patients’ visits. Of the 95 million ER visits in 2007, about 12 million of the visitors had either mental health or substance abuse issues, or both.
“Of these visits, about two thirds involved patients with a mental disorder, one quarter was for patients with a substance abuse problem and the rest involved patients dealing with both a mental disorder and substance abuse.” [Source: Citizen-Times (Asheville, NC)]
About 23 percent of the patients had alcohol-related problems. The study also found that mental health and substance abuse issues dramatically increased the likelihood that a patient would be admitted to the hospital, rather than being treated and released.
Labels: substance use, dual diagnosis, mental health
Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton