Given the multitude of problems with which clients present to treatment, the goal of any service should be to improve clients’ quality of life across all domains, including health, social welfare and housing, employment, criminal justice and, of course, AOD and mental health. As such, these Guidelines adopt a holistic health care approach to the management and treatment of co-occurring AOD and mental health conditions, which is based on the adage ‘Treat the person, not the illness’ [9]. It is essential to consider the whole person, taking into account psychological, physical, and sociodemographic perspectives when
consulting with clients with co-occurring mental health conditions (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Holistic health care framework: Physical and mental health