Mental Health Nursing

[Course Title and Date]

Mental Health Nursing

Introduction

This paper discusses the dual diagnosis. Initially this paper has defined the terms like dual diagnosis and co existing disorder. This paper has discussed the substance abuse (drug abuse) and depression. Moreover this paper highlights the nature of the dual diagnosis and what are the symptoms of these issues. The treatment of dual diagnosis is also discussed in this paper. The therapeutic relationships and treatment interventions with dual diagnosis has also highlighted to make the topic more clear. This paper also provides some recommendations based on the education sessions to help the mental health nurses in taking the decision in the practice.

Discussion

Dual diagnosis

Dual diagnosis or co-occurring disorders i.e. COD is defined as medical state of suffering from co morbid problem of substance abuse of mental illness such as depression. A considerable debate has been made in order to understand complex needs and diversified range of problems of individuals or heterogeneous groups. Dual Diagnosis can be applied on different severe mental illness that includes depression and alcoholism, panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder, substance abuse disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. These ailments are diagnosed as a primary psychiatric illness to understand challenges and treatment for drug abuse. This rises to a context that there is a significant need to differentiate between pre-existing mental illness and substance induced diseases (Boden & Fergusson, 2011).

When an individual is suffering from mental illness and there are comorbid medical substance abuse problems that accompany it, then this condition is termed as dual diagnosis. When one looks at this ailment, it can be said that medical professional have still not decided on how to just sample different groups who have different needs into one catchphrase.

It can be seen that the concept has been implemented at the broader level. For instance, the cases of depression and alcoholism, there can be restrictions regarding the specification of the mental illness. Even some of the cases of substance abuse order can be put into this category.

Co morbidity

Looking at the way medical science describes co morbidity, it can be termed as presence of disorders that more or less compliments the primary disease that is confounding an individual. When one looks at the medical literature, the term has been used simultaneously as well as describing some other ailments that are needed to be looked at.

Nature of dual diagnosis

As far as the importance of the treatment is concerned, both the mental and physical aspects of the health problems as well as substance abuse is addressed into the prisons. Dual diagnosis as a practice has been used for the long period of time. Most of the times, statisticians have quoted that more than half of the prisoners that are on remand have been confronted with the misuse problems.

This paper stretches comprehensive evaluation about dual diagnosis. The purpose of this study is to make content analysis to conduct an education session for constituency of nursing staff as a Clinical Nurse Educator in an ...