D U A L I T Y One of the challenges for mental health and addiction treatment providers is diagnosing and treating people with co-occurring disorders. Multiple studies have shown that those with mental illness often have co-occurring substance abuse issues, and that some who are addicted to alcohol or drugs may have some type of mental illness. NEW EMPLOYEE SERVES DETOX CLIENTS
Fortunately, there is also evidence that behavioral health providers have been increasing their focus on – and their ability to properly treat – co-occurring mental illness and addiction. In recent years, treating co-occurring addiction and mental health disorders, rather than treating them separately, has become standard practice, according to Delores King, a counselor at ABA Health Services in Baltimore. This evolution in practice has been partially driven by more availability of insurance coverage for co-occurring treatment, under the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare). WRAP-AROUND SERVICES “At one time, mental health insurance usually didn't pay for addiction treatment,” King says. “Now, we can treat the whole person, with ‘wrap-around’ services.” The recent expansion of Medicaid coverage to include outpatient addiction treatment has largely driven this change on the part of third-party funding, she notes.
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