While researching co-occurring disorders, consider the approaches to treatment. Is it recommended to focus on the treatment of one disorder first or both simultaneously and why? Treatment Approaches Co-occurring Disorders

Co-occurring Disorders: Treatment

The presence of multiple conditions, sometimes referred to as co-occurring disorder, can be referred to as comorbidity. The disorders could be either mental or substance-use disorders (McGovern and colleagues, 2018). Co-occurring disorders are complex, so it is important to take a holistic approach and address all the needs of each individual. The sequential and concurrent approaches are the main ways to treat co-occurring conditions. A sequential approach involves first treating the one condition and then working on the second. This is used in cases where one disorder is more serious or more debilitating than another, and when treatment for one disorder might help relieve symptoms from the other. This is a combination treatment that treats both the primary and secondary disorders. It is used to treat both severe disorders or conditions where the treatment of one disorder might not be effective for the other. In accordance with a 2018 review, simultaneous treatment of the two disorders has been shown to be more effective and to have a greater chance of sustained recovery. (McGovern, et al. (2018) Cont…