Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Substance use and mental health tackled in new book
Working with Dual Diagnosis: A Psychosocial Perspective has been written by Darren Hill, Principal Lecturer in Social Work at Leeds Beckett and registered Social Worker, Divine Charura, Senior Lecturer in Psychological Therapies at Leeds Beckett and registered Psychotherapist, and Bill Penson, PhD student at UCLAN and mental health trainer with UK charity Community Links (Northern). It has been published by Palgrave Macmillan as part of the Foundations of Mental Health Practice series.
The book is set to be launched at an event at Leeds Beckett University’s city centre Portland Building, Room 406, on Wednesday 27 January from 4-6pm.
Darren Hill explained: “In the UK it is estimated that a third of patients in mental health services have a substance use problem, and that half of patients in drug and alcohol services have a mental health problem. Our book explores the intertwined issues of substance use and mental health as a social phenomenon and offers a critical, informative guide to understanding dual diagnosis.”
The authors bring to the book their extensive experience within mental health and drug treatment services, exploring areas that are key to understanding the relationship between the two, including: models for understanding substance use (including stimulants, depressants and hallucinogens) and mental health within complex social and psychological factors; treatment processes - including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and family therapy - relapse prevention and guided self-help; and how practitioners can work with and promote better treatment, after care and support for those experiencing dual diagnosis issues.
Darren added: “The book is about listening to the people who get forgotten about and supporting those who work with them. Developing a psychosocial perspective allows students and practitioners to develop an understanding of addiction and mental health beyond the perspective of the sick and the bad. People are more than labels or a diagnosis. This book is about exploring the social context of how and why people develop mental health and addiction problems and how best we respond to them in a pragmatic and constructive manner in the community.”
Working with Dual Diagnosis: A Psychosocial Perspective includes case studies, reflective exercises and theory to inform all work related to dual diagnosis within health, social and criminal justice service, and is an important text for social work, nursing, occupational therapy and probation students.