Treatment providers' assessment of dual-prognosis patients: diagnosis, treatment, referral, and family involvement.

The problems of patients with dual diagnoses (substance abuse and psychiatric disorders) have only recently come under study. While attempting to assess the feasibility of offering services to family members of dual-diagnosis patients, the authors encountered problems in delivering services to the patients themselves. These problems included inadequate reporting methods, lack of a combined treatment approach, lack of family involvement, and inadequate referral resources. This paper discusses some of the impediments to treatment and areas of needed research.