Substance Use and Mental Health Conditions: Co-existence of Dual Problems in Bangladesh

Substance use is currently an important public health as well as social issue in Bangladesh. At the same time, psychiatric disorders are also of growing concern in the country. However, there is a dearth of research regarding the dual diagnosis of substance use and psychiatric disorders in Bangladesh. Available research indicates that psychiatric disorders or mental health conditions are frequent both as a risk factor and a comorbidity of substance use. There are some tertiary care centers in government level and many legal and illegally established drug addiction treatment centers which deal with persons with substance abuse with or without mental health conditions. The assessment and management process including available services for the dual problems are neither satisfactory nor coordinated. Recently the Mental Health Act and the Narcotics Control Act have been enacted to aid in the process of management of the problem. Still, there are many barriers in providing effective services for the co-occurring disorders. To deal with the dual problems successfully, further research, skilled manpower, raising awareness, adequate and integrated services and intersectoral collaboration are needed. This chapter discusses the current scenario, challenges and future directions for better services regarding the issue.