

Addiction Psychiatry 2018
Journal of Addiction Research & Therapy
ISSN: 2155-6105
Page 28
August 13-14, 2018
Madrid, Spain
8
th
International Conference on
Addiction Psychiatry
C
o-occurring disorders—which used to be called ‘dual
diagnosis’ disorders refers to the concurrence of both a
substance use disorder and a psychiatric disorder in a given
individual.
Such disorders are not uncommon and a growing body of
evidence has taught us that this phenomenon has a unique
clinical course than either of its separate diagnosis. The
impact of co-occurrence is greater than the sum of its parts.
In general, there is a downgrading of the prognosis for both
disorders when identified in the same patient. The currently
accepted prevalence of this condition has been stable over
the course of two decades during which time, several large
scale studies have cast their net wide enough to capture
diagnostic relationships that had historically been difficult
to make. After all, the populations being studied present
diagnostic challenges given the overlap between substance
induced symptoms, withdrawal symptoms and those that are
independent of substance use.
Biography
Torie S. Sepah, MD is a physician psychiatrist, with Board Certification by
the ABPN in Adult Psychiatry. She completed undergraduate at UCLA with
a BA in Political Science and medical school at Tulane School of Medicine,
where she was inducted into the Arnold P. Gold Humanism in Medicine
Honour Society for exemplifying humanistic care. She completed internship
in Family Medicine at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Centre and
residency in Psychiatry at LA County-University of Southern California. Dr.
Sepah was a Chief Resident during residency at which time she conducted
research on physician burnout among two departments, from the resident
to attending level.
Torie.sepah@gmail.comCo-Occurring Disorders: Prevalence, Under-Diagnosis, and
the Downward Spiral Leading to Homelessness, Incarceration,
and Lower Life Expectancy. How to Change the Course by
Implementing Evidence-Based, Integrated Care—From the
Provider Level up to a Systems-Based Approach
Torie S. Sepah
California Institute for Women, USA
Torie S. Sepah, J Addict Res Ther 2018, Volume 9
DOI: 10.4172/2155-6105-C2-039