From the practitioners’ viewpoint, the field of concurrent disorder is naturally complex. First, it must deal with the interaction of two disorders – mental health and addictions. Questions of what came or should be treated first tends to plague the field.

Second, it frequently involves clients’ socio-economic needs regarding low income, housing and/or health issues.

Third, it involves a variety of health and social service systems, with their varying practices, procedures and eligibility criteria. The practitioner has to navigate these (sometimes exclusionary) systems, while continuing to encourage clients’ recovery.

Concurrent Disorders Support Services is a beginning attempt to deal with these issues within the Toronto, Ontario context. Other initiatives may take a different tack due to:

• The size and density of their geographic area.
• The range of available services.
• The type of population: e.g., whether mobile, housed or relatively stabilized.