Substance Use and Mental Health Disorders: Psychologists' Role in Bridging the Gap

Nearly 30% of people with a mental health disorder will also have a substance use disorder at some point in their lives. Despite widespread evidence of the complex interactions between mental health and substance use and the value of integrated treatment, the majority of people with concurrent disorders do not receive treatment that addresses both conditions. Psychologists are ideally suited to bridge this gap in care, but this will not be without challenges. Psychologists possess extensive skills in identifying, diagnosing, and treating mental health disorders, which are transferrable to substance use disorders. Psychologists also have formal training in supervision and consultation and thus can supervise or act as consultants for other professionals in treating concurrent disorders. They have expertise in program development, evaluation, and research and can lead projects to integrate mental health and substance use services. Barriers to psychologists bridging this gap center on siloes in our healthcare system, the lack of training for psychologists to develop competency and confidence in substance use disorder diagnosis and treatment, misperceptions about how individuals with substance use disorders respond to psychological treatment, as well as system barriers. Overcoming these barriers comes with clear benefits and will require changes to professional training, clinical practice, and research on evidence-based treatments for concurrent disorders. Agencies across Canada are calling for action to ensure individuals with concurrent disorders receive the integrated services they require. Being at the leading edge of this change offers an important opportunity for psychologists. Près de 30 % des personnes présentant un trouble de santé mentale auront aussi un trouble lié à la consommation d'une substance au cours de leur vie. Malgré les preuves répandues au sujet des interactions complexes entre la santé mentale et la consommation d'une substance et de la valeur d'un traitement intégré, la majorité des gens ayant des troubles concomitants ne reçoivent pas de traitement simultané pour les deux conditions. Les psychologues sont les mieux placés pour combler cette lacune, mais cela ne se fera pas sans difficulté. Ils possèdent de vastes compétences pour cerner, diagnostiquer et traiter les troubles de santé mentale, qui sont transférables aux troubles liés à la consommation de substances. Ils ont reçu une formation en supervision et en consultation, ce qui le