The dually diagnosed

by Dennis C. Ortman

As the number of seriously ill substance abusers in outpatient settings multiplies with the ascendance of managed care and its attendant cost restrictions, more and more practitioners of every stripe will encounter the therapeutic dilemmas posed by the dually diagnosed. Dennis Ortman, challenging the conventional wisdom that splits treatment between the psychological and medical arenas in order to address both, argues that clinicians should be prepared to treat the entire patient in one therapeutic space. To that end, he offers principles, strategies, and techniques consistent with the goal of an integrated treatment model. His presentation - based on interviews with therapists experienced with the dually diagnosed, buttressed by his research into the nature of substance abuse, and animated with clinical examples - will support practitioners in both the addiction and mental health fields while also stimulating dialogue among them and contributing to the ongoing debate.