Ms Em Murphy:

I was going to make a similar point. There is a culture based around a hierarchy of knowledge. We do dual-diagnosis awareness training with people, many of whom are working in community addiction services. They often say they do not know how to deal with this issue. However, when we go through their day, it comes out that they already are dealing with it. A person-centred approach to care is what is needed, and a person does not need to be a specialist to provide that. In fact, the specialists we spend years chasing our tails trying to access are the people who dehumanise and retraumatise us. It is the people in community-based projects who see us as people, sit us down for a cup of tea and ask us what we need. That is the difference and it is the intervention that is needed. It is not about the specialised knowledge people think they need to have but which, in fact, they do not need. There is a confidence issue in that people think they are not qualified to do it.

However, in reality, addiction services deal with dual diagnosis. Some 50% of people who present to addiction services have a dual diagnosis. They are already doing it. It just takes confidence and a cultural shift, as Dr. Mac Gabhann has stated.