The Association between Dual Diagnosis and the Child Welfare System

Dual Diagnosis
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Introduction
For children growing up in the foster homes, it is quite a challenge. Foster homes do not generally provide the right environment for the children to grow up in (Thenadd.org, 2016). There have been challenges associated with the foster homes and there are concerns that some of these challenges need to be looked into. Most of the people that have gone through the foster home system have been found to experience certain difficulties that are associated with development (Nlm.nih.gov, 2016). The elements of mental health needs and the developmental/ intellectual have in the last several decades evoked interests among the scholars (Hryb, Kirkhart& Talbert, 2007). This is especially the case with reference to the need to understand aspects of dual diagnosis among the foster children. There have also been research focused on the mental illnesses and substance abuse, which is also crucially related to the foster home care system (Stirling, & Amaya-Jackson, 2008). As such, there is a need to look into the link between the dual diagnosis aspects that now becoming a common characteristics among the children that are brought up in the foster homes.
Dual Diagnosis
This is a term that largely refers to the coexistence of both the symptoms associated with developmental/ intellectual and the mental illness disorders. It is important to note, as most research findings indicate, there is a close relation between the element of dual diagnosis in reference to depression and in some of the cases substance abuse (Thenadd.org, 2016). It is for this reason that some of the research associate the substance abuse with the mental disabilities, while others associate the mental illness with the depression and other developmental disabilities and behavioral difficulties among the patients. For people with developmental disabilities which are presented with behavioral difficulties, it is quite difficult to determine the underlying causes of the same. This is relative to the fact that most of the people that have this condition tend to have a combination of adaptive and cognitive disabilities. However, it is common for these people to lack the appropriate coping skills for quite a number of stressors in their environment (Nlm.nih.gov, 2016). It is also largely determined, that in most of the cases people suffering from developmental disabilities also tend to have limited verbal skills. This means that they tend to have challenges expressing themselves. As such, during treatment sessions, where the patient may experience pain and discomfort, they may instead express their reception and perception of pain through aggression which is physical (Thenadd.org, 2016). As such, for the physicians that are taking care of such patients, it is crucial that they understand the various mental health services which are currently available. At the same time, it is important that the physicians note that there are gaps in services and challenges in diagnosis that could essentially affect the quality of care offered (Stirling, & Amaya-Jackson, 2008).
Historical Background
Dual diagnosis can be traced back to the 1980`s from individuals who exhibited mental illnesses and substance abu...