Early life experiences of trauma are known to significantly increase the risk of substance use in adolescence and adulthood. It has been suggested that individuals may use alcohol or drugs as a means of temporarily relieving themselves from psychological distress, however this can lead to increased emotional dysregulation in the long term.

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) for adolescent suffering from PTSD and SUDs focuses on developing awareness of unhelpful thought patterns and cognitive restructuring. 

A recent study, published in the Journal of Psychology and Psychotherapy, has...

Children who are next of kin to parents with physical or mental illness and/or substance abuse need access to mental health support and several cost-effective interventions are available. Because most parents in the target group often consult general practitioners (GPs), GPs may have a crucial role in identifying burdened children and ensuring their follow-up. However, this important topic has received little attention in clinical discussions and research. In response to the knowledge gap, we conducted the research project Burdened Children as Next of Kin and the General Practitioner. Four sub...

First published in 2009 and updated in 2014 the  Guidelines on the Management of Co-Occurring Alcohol and Other Drug and Mental Health Conditions in Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Settings are offered in tandem with an online training programme. 

Created by the National Centre of Research Excellence in Mental Health and Substance Use (NARDC) and funded by the Australian Government Department of Health, the resource is free to access through the NHMRC. It was developed in consultation and collaboration with clinicians, researchers, consumers, and carers from across Australia.

The guidelines...

6 June 2018 – WHO's Mental Health Atlas 2017 reveals that although some countries have made progress in mental health policy-making and planning, there is a global shortage of health workers trained in mental health and a lack of investment in community-based mental health facilities.

“This latest edition of the Mental Health Atlas provides us with yet more evidence that scale-up of resources for mental health is not happening quickly enough. We know what works. Failure to invest in mental health as a matter of urgency will have health, social and economic costs on a scale that we have...