Dual Diagnosis-

Dual Diagnosis -Reflect on the workshop, a learning and how it will be implemented-  
Zoe Williams


Initially I was looking forward to the study day on the topic dual diagnosis. I had made the mistake of thinking that it was to do with those who suffered from a mental illness and a disability which i had seen multiple times on my current rotation. This notion was quickly demolished as that would be considered dual disability not dual diagnosis which covered a mental illness and a drug or alcohol problem. This was not something I had seen or experienced much of on the ward. Though our patients did very rarely have some abuse of a drug it was still a low amount of use and largely only marijuana. Many of those with clear drug or alcohol use were not permitted to our ward , drugs were also never brought in to or found on the ward during my time there. While this workshop would be very enlightening and helpful in other rotation areas I found it lost my interest and was unlikely to be currently helpful to me. I had found that due to my expectation at the beginning of the session I was dispassionate towards the rest of the session. As the dual disability is something that would be seen in all areas it should be a topic in which the graduates are educated on. While this may be so I do see the relevance in education on this topic and its benefits to those who are regularly faced with those in the situations with drugs and alcohol.



While it may not have been as relevant to my current placement I did learn that of all age groups in society, that the elderly population hold the number for highest amount of alcohol consumption. This would not have been my first choice when asked this question and would previously not have been in my consideration. As in my own personal experience, I have not had any family relation or any elderly person I have known drink in general compared to drink in excess, I previously would have found it difficult to believe that the elderly generation consumes the most.



With this new knowledge I will in future circumstances question elderly patients on their drinking habits and consider what effect it could have on their mental illness but also their physical health and how it could be compromised due to the drinking. As next I will be at 2 different aged care facilities I can exercise this notion and explore the multiple effects it has on those participating in alcohol.



Another aspect I also took from the education session was that there are actual alcohol and drug assessment forms that we were informed are quite large which may of the graduates had never seen or even knew existed. This then presents the question of how often these forms should be used if they are actually relevant if no one knows about them and who should be filling them out when necessary.