The Community Support Program demonstrations of services for young adults with severe mental illness and substance use disorders, 1987-1991

Between 1987 and 1991, 13 Community Support Program demonstration projects served I, 157 young adults with co-occurring severe mental illness and substance use disorder The service demonstrations and related program evaluations provided a watershed in the development of dual-disorder services and research. The service demonstrations showed that substance abuse treatments could be integrated with components of outpatient mental health services and that motivational interventions were fundamental. The Program evaluations showed that clients could be engaged in integrated community-based services, with the possibility of concomitant reductions in hospital use, improvements in severity of substance abuse, and gains in other areas. The program evaluations also elucidated several assessment issues for future dual disorder services research.