Care of adolescents who have mental health and substance misuse problems
Intended for healthcare professionals
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Care of adolescents who have mental health and substance misuse problems

Martin Smith Child and adolescent mental health nurse consultant/senior lecturer, Middlesex University/Tavistock Clinic, London

Services need to change the way they work to provide better support to young people with a dual diagnosis, says Martin Smith

A lack of research and education, and conflicting policies and working practices between agencies, are obstacles to effective care of young people with this dual diagnosis. Child and adolescent mental health services aspire to an integrated, comprehensive approach to care provision and delivery, and to ensuring that help is also offered to the children of adult clients who have mental health and substance misuse problems. Early, robust intervention can be effective in the long term, preventing these young people becoming the adult clients of the future.

Mental Health Practice. 16, 5, 32-36. doi: 10.7748/mhp2013.02.16.5.32.s9542

Correspondence

m.smith@mdx.ac.uk

Peer review

This article has been subject to double blind peer review

Conflict of interest

None declared

Received: 26 April 2011

Accepted: 21 May 2012

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