Editorial

Welcome to Mental Health and Substance Use: dual diagnosis (MHSU). Increased recognition of co-existing mental health and substance use problems has led to a growing body of discussion and research into the efficacy of interventions, treatment, and service delivery. As knowledge and skill advances, professionals need an effective and stimulating forum to share information, debate, and develop new, and existing, concepts. MHSU aims to explore complex issues, inform, and educate professionals by pooling and sharing knowledge and skills. It is an essential source for the professional exploring the complex needs of the individual and family experiencing co-existing mental health and substance use problems.

The issue of appropriate terminology is one that caused a great deal of discussion when exploring the concept of this journal. There appears to be a lack of consensus around terminology internationally. Dual diagnosis is used interchangeably with terms like co-existing, co-morbid, and co-occurring mental health and substance use. It is questionable whether any of the terms applied fully reflect the complexity of issues surrounding the individual, nor the mutually dependent nature of mental health and substance use problems. The term dual diagnosis has been criticised as a restrictive and unhelpful label. It encourages a focus on two distinct problems that may lead to inaccurate case formulations and inappropriate interventions, or, no intervention at all! However, whilst dual diagnosis is inadequate, it is currently the most widely recognised and used term. It is our belief that a journal aiming to explore and develop knowledge, interest, and understanding of this complex issue, should lead the debate to identify and define a universally agreed term that reflects the multifaceted needs of individuals experiencing mental health and substance use problems. This issue opens that debate with a paper presenting an argument for adopting the term co-existing problems. We are keen to hear your views, and welcome further manuscripts or correspondence to stimulate this discussion.

Whether you are a new or experienced clinician, educator, researcher, manager or service developer, MHSU is about keeping you up-to-date. We encourage submissions from new and established authors. Our experienced Associate Editors and International Advisory Board will, when appropriate, advise and guide you through to publication, where possible. Guidance on submitting a manuscript is available at www.informaworld.com/mhsu. We hope MHSU meets your expectations and look forward to hearing your views.