A dual diagnosis refers to a co-occurring diagnosis of a mental disorder and a substance abuse disorder, such as bipolar disorder and alcoholism. Clients with dual diagnoses are at greater risk for homelessness, hospitalization, HIV, and hepatitis. Hypertension is not a mental disorder or substance abuse problem; patients who have hypertension and a mental disorder like major depressive disorder are not considered to have a dual diagnosis if they do not also have a substance abuse disorder. Both schizophrenia and depression are mental disorders, but a patient diagnosed with both who does not also have a substance abuse disorder does not have a dual diagnosis. The same can be said for patients with both depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
