New drug and alcohol with mental health guidelines

The Australian Dept of Health and Ageing funded the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) to develop Guidelines on the management of co-occurring alcohol and other drug and mental health conditions in alcohol and other drug treatment settings. The aim is to:

• Increase AOD workers’ knowledge and awareness of mental health conditions.


• Improve the confidence and skills of AOD workers working with clients with comorbid mental health conditions.


• Provide guiding principles for working with clients with comorbid mental health conditions.


• Improve AOD workers’ ability to identify mental health conditions.


• Provide practical information on the management and treatment of comorbid mental health conditions.


• Provide information regarding referral processes.