System is failing people with simultaneous mental health and substance misuse problems

People who have both substance misuse problems and mental health disorders are being overlooked by the NHS, leading to avoidable harm and even suicides, say experts.

Better coordination between services, monitoring of outcomes, and training for clinicians on how to treat the conditions simultaneously are needed to tackle this problem, said the authors of a report1 on co-occurring substance misuse and mental health (CoSUM) disorders.

The report from the Royal College of Psychiatrists says people with CoSUM disorders experience poorer health, worse engagement with work, and higher mortality and rates of suicide than people who have either a mental illness or a substance misuse disorder.

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Source: BMJ, 13 May 2025