ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION Th e diffi culties encountered by people who experience mental health-substance use problems are not new. Th e individual using substances presenting to the mental health professional can oft en encounter annoyance and suspicion. Likewise, the person experiencing mental health problems presenting to the substance use services can encounter hostility and hopelessness. ‘We cannot do anything for the substance use problem until the mental health problem is dealt with!’ Th e referral to the mental health team is returned: ‘We cannot do anything for this person until the substance use problem is dealt with!’ Th us, the individual is in the middle of two professional worlds and neither is willing to move, and yet, both professional worlds are involved in ‘caring’ for the individual.
