Dual Disorders: Essentials for Assessment and Treatment

Dual Disorders: Essentials for Assessment and Treatment is a practical handbook for the assessment and clinical management of patients with addiction and psychiatric disorders. Addictions counselors, prevention specialists, and chemical dependency nurses will use this book to understand the nature of psychiatric disorders and uncover valuable guidelines on their treatment and management in the context of primary addictions treatment. It includes an introduction to the rationale and clinical approaches of cognitive therapy; a special section on psychiatric medications; and coverage of mood, anxiety, psychotic, cognitive, eating, and personality disorders.Dual Disorders: Essentials for Assessment and Treatment contains information that is vital and fundamental to effective treatment. It fills a void in the training and education of addictions counselors, helping you become a better diagnostician, develop better treatment plans, and communicate more meaningfully with psychiatrists and other mental health professionals. It will also increase your understanding of psychopathology and psychotherapy and decrease the frustration that can arise from a lack of understanding and planning. Specifics that you need to know to do this are thoroughly covered, including:

• elements of a comprehensive assessment of dual disorders
• clinical considerations in the treatment of the depressed addict
• pitfalls of treating patients with personality disorders
• the borderline patient--what to do and what not to do
• the psychopathic patient--anticipating and effectively addressing manipulation
• practical approaches in treating patients with eating disorders
• effective treatment of sexual trauma
• cognitive therapy approaches to treating dual disorders
• what to expect when your patient is referred to a psychiatrist for psychotropic medicationUnlike other books on this topic, Dual Disorders: Essentials for Assessment and Treatment is not a summary of research on dual diagnosis nor an overview of general programmatic considerations in treatment delivery. Rather, it is directed specifically to addictions counselors involved in the day-to-day treatment of dually diagnosed patients, providing detailed descriptions of the major psychiatric disorders as well as useful guidelines and treatment approaches.

David F O'Connell