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 abuse tendencies. Much of the emphasis has been on the mental illnesses and the connection to the substance abuse (Werges, 2016). Most of the interest on the topic has been associated with the element trying to understand whether the aspects of dual diagnosis and the exhibited characteristics can be classified as a broad category of mental retardation, if they do not belong to the category of person that are mentally retarded, if they can be classified within a subgroup under the same, evaluate in terms of prognostics how the patient would respond to special education, physiotherapeutic or psychotherapeutic measures (Werges, 2016). Other than that, there have been evaluation into determining whether this is a case that should be classified under a diagnostic category that indicates, that most of the patients with this condition are abnormal, with reference to the mental faculties and thus behavioral abilities. One of the most interesting elements is that, in the 60s, due to the fact that there was limited information on the topic, most of the researchers indicated that mental illness and mental retardation are practically the same thing(Werges, 2016). Most of the information at the time indicated, that when patients were determined to have affective and behavioral problems, they would be regarded to have maladaptive learning and in some of the cases they would be considered to be suffering from psychosocial experiences instead of looking at it from the psychiatric disorders perspective.
To make the matter worse over the years, there have been stereotypes added to this perspective. It is common for people that have mild symptoms of dual diagnosis to be normal, while those that have severe symptoms indications and are considered to be free from any emotional stress, as they are considered to be unable to experience emotions. Most of the people that suffered from any form of mental illness in the early years of the 20th century and were treated to appalling experiences also indicate why most of the people at the time did not receive treatment (Stirling, & Amaya-Jackson, 2008). This would also explain why there was largely little to no interventions for the people suffering from dual diagnosis conditions. In fact, most of the treatment methods that were subjected to persons who were considered to have mental illness, ranged from physical or chemical restraints and in some of the cases, the patients would be subjected to punishment. Later into the 60`s, with the introduction of the Community Mental Health and Mental Retardation Facilities Construction Act, that most of the early changes came into effect (Werges, 2016). With the Act in place, most of the cases for the mentally challenged persons would now be taken into consideration, rather than be considered to be aspects that would not be treated. While the aspects of mental illnesses have been evaluated with quite some seriousness in the past and even in the current state of events, one of the conditions remains underserved, dual diagnosis. This is especially the case with issues surrounding the dual diagnosis that is related to the foster children (Werges, 2016).
Dual diagnosis in foster care children
For children to have a normal developmental progress, they require all the elements of care from a support system such as parents or guardians that cater for every need including their emotional needs. This is relative to the fact that any issues that come up during this tender age also tend to affect their life when they are adults. Mistreatments that are experienced at this early stages in their lives, tend to affect the children`s normal development and turn them into victims of lifelong impairments. For the health care professionals that take care of such children, they have to consider the emotional abuse and the impacts such maltreatment may have on the developmental progress of the child. At the same time, they have to consider the adaptations mechanisms that these children may have as they respond to the various stimuli in their environment (Stirling, &...