Stopping the run-around? A study of services for people with comorbid mental health and substance use disorders in northern Adelaide

Abstract

Objective:

Comorbidity between mental health and alcohol and other drug (AOD) disorders is common. This study aimed to identify and describe all of the local government and non-government (NGO) mental health and AOD services in a socially disadvantaged urban region in Adelaide, South Australia.

Method:

Services were identified using telephone directories and the internet, and via information from workers employed by a wide range of mental health and AOD services.

Results:

Local mental health and AOD services were difficult to locate, but eventually we identified a total of 70 services. Soon after this, reorganisation of the mental health services and a new NGO funding round changed the service configuration, with a decrease in the number of services. The available services were fragmented, and rarely addressed comorbidity specifically.

Conclusion:

Our real-world study demonstrates the lack of a clear pathway for people to access existing services. Further, changes occur frequently as government funded services generally reorganise every couple of years, and NGO services come and go according to funding. There is a need for a central, widely available database for mental health and AOD services. More services addressing comorbid mental health and AOD disorders are required.