Integration
Integrating Mental Health and Substance Abuse Treatment
Integrated treatment produces better outcomes for individuals with co-occurring mental and substance use disorders. Without integrated treatment, one or both disorders may not be addressed properly. Mental health and substance abuse authorities across the country are taking steps to integrate systems and services, and promote integrated treatment:
Systems and service integration are closely interrelated
Systems Integration involves the development of infrastructure within mental health and substance abuse systems to support integrated service delivery. It can occur in systems of any size, including an entire state, a region, county, agency or program.
Systems integration focuses on reorganizing the framework within which agencies and programs operate. It includes integrated system planning, implementation, and continuous quality improvement including developing mechanisms for addressing:
- financing
- regulations and policies
- program design and certification
- interprogram collaboration and consultation
- clinical "best practice" development
- clinician licensure
- competency and training
- information systems
- data collection
- outcome evaluation
Services Integration refers to the process of merging separate clinical services to meet the individual's substance abuse, mental health, and other needs. Services integration has two levels:
- Integrated programs are changes within an entire agency that help practitioners provide integrated treatment.
- Integrated treatment occurs at the individual-practitioner level and includes all services and activities.
Services integration means providing at a minimum:
- integrated screening for mental and substance use disorders
- integrated assessment
- integrated treatment planning
- integrated or coordinated treatment
- continuing care
The overall vision of an integrated system is to effectively serve individuals with co-occurring disorders no matter where they enter the system. Click below to learn more about key activities undertaken to integrate systems and services:
- Develop a shared vision for an integrated system
- Build consensus across service settings
- Develop long-term plans for sustainable change
- Define integrated services and treatment
- Develop infrastructure for systems integration by changing policies, regulations, financing mechanisms, etc.
Resources and Links
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Introductory discussion of mental health and substance abuse systems integration
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A discussion of services integration issues and solutions
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Describes activities of a community organization to integrate mental health and substance abuse services
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Integrating co-occurring disorders treatment in community mental health centers
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Research showing positive results of integrated co-occurring disorders treatment
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An overview article on current research and guidelines for services integration
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Review of States' experiences implementing innovative integration strategies
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A presentation that offers a brief overview of co-occurring disorders epidemiology, treatment, and SAMHSA initiatives and programs
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Presentation slides describing an organizational change process for implementing Integrated Dual Disorders Treatment (IDDT)
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A discussion of the limitations of the quadrant model for co-occurring disorders
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A brief overview of data on substance use and mental illness, with a focus on the need for better services and systems integration to improve outcomes
