Ramsey John2026-04-15T15:20:42+00:00If a patient screens positive for both a substance use disorder and a
mental health condition, treat both right away, not one after the other.
Integrated care reduces dropout, improves symptom control, and lowers safety risk. Yet across Aotearoa New Zealand, separate services still move people between addiction and mental health teams.
In New Zealand mental health settings, roughly 30 to 50% of people have a co-existing substance use problem. In addiction services, a co-existing mental health condition is just as...