Australian Dual Diagnosis project

• Topics in Outcome Assessment by Ellen A. Dornelas, Ph.D., 9/24/96
  • Mental Health Services Research by Don Baker, Ph.D., 9/26/96
    • Outcome Assmt of People w/Dual Diagnosis by Ellen Dornelas, 9/27/96
      
      

Hello, this is my first visit to this web site and my first posting. For the last three years I have been the co-ordinator of a training program here in Australia for mental health workers, drug and alcohol workers and carers of people experiencing dual disorders. The education program is part of a three year national mental health research project run by Paul Clenaghan and Dr. Alan Rosen of the Royal North Shore Hospital and Community Mental Health Services and Gordon Lambert and I as senior lecturers in the postgraduate mental health program at the University of Wollongong (near Sydney). As part of the program we use videoconference to link with Drs Tom and Lindy Fox of the New Hampshire dual diagnosis project (USA). The Sydney project uses the intensive casemanagement model of Stein and Test (Madison, Wisconsin) and Hoult (Sydney, Australia).

We are gathering data of (a) the education program and (b) the Sydney project. The Sydney project includes the use of a "damp house" which houses 4 people at a time with a dual disorder who are homeless, and where they can live and still use drugs or alcohol as long as they do not use in the house.They are also in contact with the intensive case management team of the area mental health service. Paul and Alan have been collecting data on Quality of Life, drug and alcohol use, Living Skills Profile, Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale and other outcome measures such as lenght of stay in accommodation. Both the education and clinical programs have significant service user and family input and involvement.

If you would like more information on the education or clinical programs you can write to me at Brian_oneill@uow.edu.au and I can either send you material I have and/or put you in contact with Paul and Alan. (They are not on email).

We have also had Dr. Doug Tucker, Director of the Dual Diagnosis Unit at the VA Hospital in Los Angeles here in Australia and he has also been part of our project. Doug has some very interesting data re his unit in Los Angeles and I can also put you in touch with him.

Finally, Dr Fiona McDermott of Melbourne University has recently completed a detailed study for the Schizophrenia Fellowship of Victoria into service useage patterns by people with a dual disorder...so if you think any of this might be of interest please let me know.

Brian O'Neill Senior Lecturer Post Graduate Mental Health Program University of Wollongong

• Re: Dual Diagnosis project by Nancy Barraclough, Mental health Prof., 3/9/98